Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Paul McFarland will depart the club after the 2019-20 season to become head coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs for the second time.
The Maple Leafs gave McFarland permission to interview with the Frontenacs after the club fired head coach Kurtis Foster last month.
A 34-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ont., McFarland was head coach of the Frontenacs for three seasons from 2014 to 2017 before taking an assistant coach's job with the Florida Panthers.
McFarland was with Florida, working under former Spits head coach Bob Boughner for two seasons before joining the Leafs' staff prior to the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the NHL's pause during the COVID-19 pandemic changed the timeline for McFarland.
``Normally this type of move would be done during the off-season, but given that these are far from normal circumstances, we are in full support of Paul's desire to pursue this position in Kingston and gain more experience as a head coach,'' Keefe said in a statement.
with files from (The Canadian Press)