Former Leafs bench boss reportedly a frontrunner for Vegas coaching vacancy

Earlier this season, Paul Maurice shocked the NHL when he chose to step down as Head Coach of the Winnipeg Jets after just 29 games. He made the decision because he felt the team needed a new voice and that he didn't have the passion or drive to get up and go to the rink every day. Now, just 7 months later Maurice has emerged as a candidate for the Vegas Golden Knights Head Coaching job.

Maurice would be a good fit for Vegas behind the bench as he has a similar coaching style to that of Gerard Gallant. He's a players' coach and a coach that doesn't mince words. Maurice brings a wealth of experience to Vegas, having been a coach for much of the last 25 years and only coaching 3 teams (Hartford/Carolina, Winnipeg and Toronto). The fact he has only coached 3 teams in his coaching career tells you how much players like playing for him and how he connects with different players.

The real question is, does Maurice want to roll the dice on Vegas. Vegas will be going onto its third head coach in just 5 years. Bill Foley, the owner of the Knights wants to win at all costs, but maybe he has his hands too involved in how the team is run, which is you ask me is a red flag. Just look at the Dalls Cowboys, an owner with his hands all over that team and they haven't won't anything in 30 years. It's something that Maurice would have to really consider, on top of deciding if he wants to get back into coaching so soon after departing Winnipeg.