Ex-King GM Beverley New Toronto Coach

Pat Burns, a two-time NHL coach of the year who twice led Toronto to the conference finals, was fired by the struggling Maple Leafs and replaced Tuesday by player development director Nick Beverley, former King general manager.

Toronto General Manager Cliff Fletcher fired Burns on Monday following the Leafs’ eighth consecutive loss but waited a day to announce the move.

Burns, 43, in his fourth season with Toronto after four years coaching the Montreal Canadiens, went to Maple Leaf Gardens late Monday and wrote a farewell message to his players on the dressing room blackboard.

“You can’t keep on trading foot soldiers all the time,” Burns told Toronto radio station CFRB from Montreal. “Sooner or later, the general’s got to go.”

The atmosphere on the team had grown tense during a 3-16-3 slide but seemed to ease during practice Tuesday as Beverley took over.

“There’s no question I will be flying by the seat of my pants for a while here, but that’s OK,” Beverly said. “I really feel confident everything will fall into place.”

Beverley, 48, grew up in Toronto and was a teammate of Hall of Famer Bobby Orr as a junior player. He played 11 NHL seasons, coached in minor pro leagues for five years and managed the Los Angeles Kings before joining the Leafs in 1994.

He will behind the bench for the first time in more than 10 years when the Leafs (25-30-10) host the New Jersey Devils tonight.

“We’ll do everything we can to get this thing back on track and head into the playoffs on a high note,” Beverley said.