Joe Pavelski hasn’t even been retired a full year, and he’s already on Toronto’s radar as a head coaching candidate. That alone says something about how the league views him.
The Maple Leafs eventually hired Jim Hiller, a former assistant under Mike Babcock, to lead the bench. But before that decision was final, Pavelski was one of the names in the mix. And according to a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the interview process left a real impression on the former San Jose Shark and Dallas Star.
“It was great,” Pavelski said. “It was awesome. It was interesting. When I got the call, if I had interest in the job, yeah, I mean, it’s Toronto. It kind of takes your breath away to be thought about as a head coach. So it definitely had my attention.”
Pavelski hung up his skates after the 2023-24 season with the Stars. He spent 12 seasons in San Jose before that. His leadership was never really in question — that’s part of why teams keep circling back to him when they need a culture reset. Right now, he’s coaching his son’s team in Madison, Wisconsin. That’s his day job. But the NHL coaching carousel? He’s keeping an eye on it.
“After they first reached out, I took a couple of days to think about it,” he said. “It’s a process you definitely want to go through and see how it really looks. I have so much respect for what these coaches do, and that’s one of the reasons you really have to look at it. You know the time they put into it and the care they put into it and everything that comes with it. I definitely wanted to follow up on the process and see where it went.”
He didn’t get the job, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. His son was recently drafted into the OHL and could have a future in the pros. As for Pavelski himself? He’s not rushing into anything. He’s watching, learning, and maybe waiting for the right fit. “You always listen,” he said. “I think if it happens, it’s probably a few years out.”
There’s a natural comparison floating around to guys like Martin St. Louis and Rod Brind’Amour — former players who jumped straight into coaching and found success. Brind’Amour just won a Cup in Carolina. Pavelski hears that comparison and kind of laughs it off. “It’s funny as you talk to people, that was a comment I got a few times — ‘Well, you’ve been coaching the last five years of your career,’” he said. “I chuckle at that because I didn’t see it that way. I had tremendous coaches in my career. I loved Pete (DeBoer) and Spotter (assistant Steve Spott). And with Rick Bowness and Todd McLellan, I learned a lot from those guys.”
So he didn’t get the gig this time. But NHL teams burn through coaches fast. Playoff exits. Roster shakeups. Ownership impatience. The job will open up again somewhere, probably sooner than later. And when it does, Pavelski will get another call.
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