The Friday morning announcement was a surprising one, as McFarland was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs just last summer to work with the power play and forward units.
At the time of the hiring, it seemed like a long-term decision due to his age and relative NHL inexperience.
Instead, it’s one and done for McFarland in Toronto as he returns to the Kingston Frontenacs as head coach, where he will look to continue to work towards an NHL head coaching job.
This decision leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs in an unexpected situation this off-season, where the coaching staff was one of the few areas we didn’t anticipate any changes.