With Jim Hiller on staff as the new head coach with a three-year deal, the next step was to sort out the staff below him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today changes to the club's coaching staff. Daniel Alfredsson has been appointed associate coach, while John Gruden and Brad Werenka have been named assistant coaches with the Maple Leafs. Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde will not be returning as assistant coaches next season.
No one could have predicted the choice of Alfredsson.
It's not like Alfredsson and Mats Sundin were not teammates no Team Sweden for a long time while the Ottawa - Toronto war raged on. But that's different, that's putting on the blue and yellow not the blue and white.
Has a coach ever been booed before?
Alfredsson, who retired after the 2013-2014 season, took a position in Ottawa in 2015 as Senior Advisor. He stepped away from the team several times since then, something that may indicate the relationship was not always a happy one. In 2023 under the new ownership, he returned as a development coach and starting in December acted as an assistant coach under D.J. Smith. He has remained in that role since Smith left and was replaced by Travis Green.
D.J. Smith worked under Mike Babcock with Jim Hiller, and the two are reported to be close. There was speculation that Hiller and Babcock would compete for the hiring of Smith, who went to the Oilers for a reportedly very large salary.
The connection must run through Smith.
John Gruden, of course, just led the Marlies to their Calder Cup win, and he also used to work with Hiller in Long Island.
Brad Werenka had been an assistant coach with the University of Calgary, but does not appear to have coached last year. He is also Jim Hiller's partner in their analytics firm.
An interesting old interview with him is here:
