Confirmed with Link: Craig Berube named the 32nd Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs

[Maple Leaf]

I like the hire. I also like that it signifies the end of the Dubas/Keefe era. Time for Treliving and Berube to write a better chapter in Leafs history.

It's the same as hiring a new team principal when your driver can't win a race

 

[rumman]

There is nothing wrong with him. The wrong is with the roster. Unless that changes, Berube, or any coach, can only do so much.

Winner winner chicken dinner…….

 

[rumman]

You keep making shit up. I'm out

Wise move, instead talk to the wall, it’s about the same……..

That means you, Mitch.

And Mathews, and Nylander, and Rielly……..

 

[Darcy Tucker]

It's the same as hiring a new team principal when your driver can't win a race

I see your point but disagree. New coach , new philosophy, new interactions with the players , new guidelines. I think Treliving will try and acquire players to satisfy Berube's demands. Lets see how year 1 goes before writing him off . He got it done in St. Louis. I'm sure it wasn't just blind luck.

 

[rumman]

This screams Nylander... Jarnkrok might be one of his favourites and people will hate that.

This might be a good thing if Nylander can up his compete level he just might live up to that contract, but I’m not betting on it……..

 

[MCR74]

Wise move, instead talk to the wall, it’s about the same……..


And Mathews, and Nylander, and Rielly……..

I hope Berube slams the hammer down, on everyone. The team's never had any accountability. Even Wendel Clark was benched during a game. Time for the kids to experience some tough love.

 

[rumman]

I love run and gun hockey.
I love 7 to 5 games
It requires all players to be engaged and be disciplined in their assignments
It requires speed
It requires a coach who can motivate all players
It requires risk
Most of all a goaltender
Dubas understood this but over paid stars thus hurting the team
Keefe knew this but couldn't control his stars
Berube cannot coach this style
The
Change will be interesting to watch

Run and gun is over rated imo, give me hard nosed hockey that’s defensively responsible and I’m more than happy……..

I hope Berube slams the hammer down, on everyone. The team's never had any accountability. Even Wendel Clark was benched during a game. Time for the kids to experience some tough love.

Agreed……..

Not change enough. Need to hear he gets to clean house and put together his own staff. No more Dubas holdovers, they suck. Get the suck outta here!

Agreed, although I can see Van Ryan staying……..

 

[crump]

Maybe 2 years too late (Montreal and Columbus playoff fiasco’s were probably the time to change the coach. For sure after the Florida series last year)

But I think Berube is the right fit to motivate and adjust at key points in games. Has won, has credibility. Success will hinge on assistants and special teams coaches. They both went south this season. I think his style is a suffocating D but he will need the right players to buy in

There’s not much rope though. He doesn’t inherit a bunch of superstar young greenhorns like Keefe did. Keefe had the luxury of having them mature over a few years before the focus was turned on him. Burube’s deal is 4 years but if he doesn’t go deep within 2….

Need big shutdown stud D (will need to trade a top player not named Matthews or Nylander)
Goalie- will Woll and Hildeby be enough? Probably not.
Draft some D hopefully BPA is a D in the first round for us.

I think Treliving and Berube are on the same page which is important.

 

[rumman]

Berube has a tough job in front of him. Same core players for 7-8 years. Same playoff results. And the team went through two types of coaches already. Old school yelling Babs and chill players coach Keefe.

Hopefully the core looks different, start with Marner and Rielly…………

 

[rumman]

The "Core Fore" can faque off.

Exactly, buy in or ship out……..

 

[rumman]

That was Babcock, wasn't it?

Pretty sure that was Boy Wonder’s quote…….

Rumour 4 players have waived their NMC.















j/k

Great start………

Only in our dreams.

But some players are going to get their egos checked.

Yup, going to be ugly for 34, 16, 88, 44 if they continue to mail it in………

 

[Dekes For Days]

There are some things I like about this hire and some things I dislike, but glad to get a new coaching voice in there. It was time, and it will be interesting to see how things differ. Glad we didn't give him some crazy Babcock term.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

 

[Niagara Bill]

Run and gun is over rated imo, give me hard nosed hockey that’s defensively responsible and I’m more than happy……..


Agreed……..


Agreed, although I can see Van Ryan staying……..

I am happy with d hockey as well, but when you have oranges you make orange juice, not try to turn it into something else.
Winning like 1967 or like the Gretzky Oilers is ok with me.
Just flippin do it.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Pretty sure that was Boy Wonder’s quote…….

It was Babcock.

 

[LeafsFan89]

The big question is how Berube will handle Matthews and Marner? I’m not convinced he’s going to come in and “set them straight”.

But if he does, how will they respond if he wants them to play a way and with players that won’t max out their stats?

Let’s not forget, one of the reasons why Auston and Mitch didn’t like Babs was bc they wanted to play together and Babs rarely let them. Sheldon came in and let them call the shots and gave them whatever they wanted and everything was geared towards maxing their point totals

Will Berube say F that you don’t call the shots and if so how will they respond, particularly Auston? I think that’s the key question

I am at the point where if you don't want to play "the right way" or how the coach wants you to play, then ask for a trade. These guys make 11-13.5M. Get out of here.

 

[DarkKnight]

I hope he doesn’t fly all over to meet the players too, tell them to come to TO over the summer and get to know the coach. If they can’t be bothered, noted. I’m the boss.

 

[Evilhomer]

Why can't we learn why do we have to get so hyped every time.

Amen. Even more relevant in this case because no matter who was coaching the Leafs next season, it would again be a 100+ point team. None of this is meaningful until next April.

 

[Folignos Helmet]

A few things.

First the leafs were so proud of their new hire they released a news dump tweet at 5pm on Friday of a long weekend, WTF.

Second I am curious on the assistants as there is general consensus Berube is a great motivator coach but needs to have systems guys to help round out the edges.

Finally I hope he brings a new approach to regular season hockey that is more translatable to postseason even if it means sacrificing some player points. I think this has been biggest coaching failure of this team in the past 5 years. Played in a way that worked great in regular season and just hoped it would eventually translate to the postseason. It hasn’t.

Of course that will rely on major personnel change as well.

I’m a little more hopeful after this hire but still waiting to see what else happens.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

I know people have a soft spot for Johnny because they believe there's something wrong with him but it's his 11m that needs to be off the books for this team to improve .

No soft spot for Johnny at all. It's just that no one want him at any price without a sweetener like our first round draft pick, whereas Mitchy will be a commodity teams would want, albeit at a much lower cap number.

 

[saltming]

I think his point is there's no reason to be hyped behind him and label him the next big thing like this fanbase always does. This team has gone through 2 coaches now with this core and still didn't deliver. The mood should be melancholy not another hype train. Until proven otherwise Berube is just another cog, part of the revolving doors of mediocrity that is the current Leafs core. Why can't we learn why do we have to get so hyped every time.

That's a fair observation. I'm not a hype guy but I'm saying berube is good and what this team needs.
I think it's normal for people to be happy or excited for a change that they think will move their team in the direction we all want. It's just as valid for people to express that as it is for people who feel the opposite to express their feelings.
In the case of @notbias he asked why I thought berube was a better coach than Keefe, so I provided why I think that

 

[Clark4Ever]

No soft spot for Johnny at all. It's just that no one want him at any price without a sweetener like our first round draft pick, whereas Mitchy will be a commodity teams would want, albeit at a much lower cap number.

I don't think Tavares will be asked to waive his no trade clause. Based on the stage of his career, and the roots he has laid in Toronto, it's highly unlikely he would agree anyway. I think management will let him play out his contract and offer him an extension if he is willing to take a massive pay cut.

Marner is a different story, and he would recoup assets as well.

 

[ACC1224]

I’m thinking Berube would like the challenge of trying to win with this core.
I’m sure this was discussed at length during the interview process.

 

[Socreges]

Father was upset last night and said this was the wrong move. He was yelling and really mad. Then he stayed up most of the night reading articles about Berube and he woke me up early this morning telling me he thinks it might work out!! Things are going good now!!

 

[Clark4Ever]

Matthews was designed to succeed in a system that employs heavy forechecking; methinks we see another level from him this year.

Agreed. We already saw glimpses towards the end of the season when he played with Bertuzzi and Domi.