Insider reveals the reason Guy Boucher and the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways

It wasn't shocking to anyone when the Toronto Maple Leafs announced yesterday that they had fired assistant coach Guy Boucher, especially after the team's power play declined in the latter half of the season. However, the team's true motivation for parting ways with Boucher has now been made public.

Boucher had expressed his desire to take a shot at the head coaching position after Sheldon Keefe was fired, according to Sportsnet's Elliott Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. The Leafs, of course, hired Craig Berube to take over as head coach.

Before Mike Babcock accepted the job in 2015, Boucher was on the verge of taking over as head coach of the Maple Leafs. The next year, he signed with the Leafs in an effort to assist them in coordinating their power play and offensive. Boucher's power-play did struggle most of the time when it counted most, despite some strong runs. Friedman goes on to remark that he wasn't certain Boucher was a serious contender for the head coaching job at the Maple Leafs.

To be honest, it's not surprising that Boucher requested to be considered for head coaching, but given his performance on the power play this season, there was little to no likelihood that the Toronto Maple Leafs would give his request significant consideration, which resulted in the team cutting ties with him.

Source: Blade of Steel
Insider reveals the real reason Guy Boucher was fired by the Maple Leafs