Gilmour may leave Leafs to be a coach

Doug Gilmour would love to re-invent himself as an NHL coach, but he will most likely need to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs in order to do so.

As reported in Thursday’s Toronto Sun, Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher acknowledged that the right fit for Gilmour may not be in the Blue and White, though the team would try to keep him in some capacity.

We gave him an opportunity that he didn’t feel was right at the time, that he still has in the back of his mind,” said Fletcher.

Gilmour declared his coaching ambition in the past few months before officially ending two years as player development adviser on Tuesday when Joe Nieuwendyk was hired as Cliff Fletcher’s special assistant.

Gilmour had a lengthy meeting with new head coach Ron Wilson last month, but was not added to a staff that includes Rob Zettler and Tim Hunter (Wilson’s San Jose assistants who are headed here), and Keith Acton, who survived the Pat Quinn/Paul Maurice firings.

Greg Gilbert, who took the AHL Marlies to the brink of the Calder Cup final, is entrenched at Ricoh Coliseum and could be a future Leafs head coach. The only possible opening could be as a Marlies assistant with Jim Hughes, who currently shares duties with Joe Paterson, being interviewed for an NHL position this summer.

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