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

[hotpaws]

Keep in mind that even if Tavares was willing to waive his NMC, he has negative trade value. It's not worth retaining part of his salary and giving up assets just to get rid of the last year of his deal.

Marner on the other hand could get a significant return under the right circumstances.

JT's nmc is the only issue , for example if i was the Hawks/Ducks who are well under the floor i'd take him for free then flip him at the t/d at 50% retained which would cost them peanuts since as i said his salary would only be 900k after we paid his bonus

also it isn't choosing to trade one or the other , we could trade both and i believe the return on Marner would be significant if he had term left and no nmc , going into his final year and with a nmc i doubt we'd get equal value back and i'm not interested in breaking up his cap hit into depth pieces which we could acquire in the ufa market if we had JT's cap space

 

[Sypher04]

He's gunna rattle Matthews a lot more than some people are expecting too.

There is no basis for anyone to be able to make such a claim. Depending on how exactly you mean this.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

Berube vs. Shanahan fight.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

It has probably already been mentioned, but I thought it might be Savard and Stevens who Berube would bring in with him, assuming they are both available.

By all accounts Savard Is coming in But he's not a former NHL head coach

 

[hotpaws]

Honestly, I do apologize but this is just incorrect.
Tochett completely changed the culture of the Vancouver Canucks, honesty, accountability, and the way he demands players to play the game, is something I have never seen in my 30+ years of watching hockey in Vancouver.

You are right we have some talented superstar players, but he keeps them accountable, just look what he did the other night, he called out multiple stars, he does not give a shit, this is why I think Toronto is in such a good spot with berube, who also has the same attributes.

that won't work here

- Mathews will just look at him with that bored stare he has and then play how he wants
- Mitch will get pissy and pout
- Willie's used to being the whipping boy so it'll just roll off his back

and Johnny well Johnny doesn't think anything applies to him so he'll just sit there with that blank emotionless look on his face and go out and just try to pad his stats like he always has done

 

[JKG33]

If Berube does rattle Matthews, it might turn out to be the best thing for him. For all that AM34 does, he’s got to take that next step to be Mackinnon, Draisaitl level in the playoffs. What looks like he’s missing is that extra jolt of emotion. If Berube makes him uncomfortable, challenges him and brings that fire out of him that’s mission accomplished on the coaching side.

Exactly. He's always been a step behind the elite come playoff time. And I also know Berube won't let things like his stupid 70 goal chase become bigger than the team. When Keefe told the media that was a distraction... it's like buddy you're the coach, if you can't deal with that what good are you?

 

[Evilhomer]

I also liked the comment he made, and Tre has alluded to before, that this is a team game and that every player, from 1-23, need to feel they play an important part in the game. No more of it being about "the core" and everybody else!

Every coach, in every team sport, says literally the exact same thing.

Leafs fans fall in love with guys the way a 13 year girl falls in love with boy bands. Let's see the results first. Berube was hired because he was simply the biggest name available right now. Same way Treliving got the job. Unless the roster changes, there is no amount of motivational wisdom that will work.

 

[Mess]

I suppose it could be exciting watching the team drive for that final wildcard spot once again.

What good is it to put up 111-115 regular season points playing Pond Hockey last goal wins in the regular season to being out in the first round each year when teams playing playoff style hockey?

Let me remind you the Florida Panthers won the President's trophy in 2021-22 season with 122 points, while the Leafs finished 4th with 115.

Both teams setting personal franchise best marks and easy outs in the 1st round.

Then the Florida Panthers traded their 115 point winger Huberdeau (who finished 2nd in scoring) for Matthew Tkachuk, and Leaf Nation thought the Panthers were done.

In 2022-23 the Bruins tore up the regular season with Leafs finishing 2nd in the Atlantic while Florida grabbed the WC spot.

The wild card Panthers finished off the Bruins in round #1 and nearly swept our Leafs in round #2 and now again going to final 4 now in back to back years.

So would you like to be like Florida and compete for the Cup in the final 4 or are you happy with the status quo core 4 and 1st round pretenders?

 

[JKG33]

There is no basis for anyone to be able to make such a claim. Depending on how exactly you mean this.

Sure there is. Remember Babcock's trips to AZ to soothe poor baby Matthews?

Plus the whole constant playoff failure thing. Someone needs to get him to find that extra gear, because every single years he's well behind his "peers" like McD/Drai/Mac/Pasta/Rantanen etc.

 

[Stephen]

Exactly. He's always been a step behind the elite come playoff time. And I also know Berube won't let things like his stupid 70 goal chase become bigger than the team. When Keefe told the media that was a distraction... it's like buddy you're the coach, if you can't deal with that what good are you?

I think Matthews needs to be motivated in a way that his scoring exploits and the playoff energy is all a unified theory of greatness. The way he scores the 70 fuels his playoff readiness, makes him unstoppable and it’s not a choose between one or the other or that there’s an imaginary line between regular season conservation and playoff readiness. No, don’t give us one or the other. Give us both. And more.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

he's only owed 900k after his bonus so someone would take without attaching a sweetener , whether he'd waive to go that team is the issue

the strange part in the trade Mitch crusade is that he's head and shoulders better than Tavares but people what to ship him out regardless of the return while also doing back flips to keep JT and even extend him , lol

Tavares, if extended, will be cheap. Mitch, if extended, will break the bank. No thanks.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Honestly, I do apologize but this is just incorrect.
Tochett completely changed the culture of the Vancouver Canucks, honesty, accountability, and the way he demands players to play the game, is something I have never seen in my 30+ years of watching hockey in Vancouver.

You are right we have some talented superstar players, but he keeps them accountable, just look what he did the other night, he called out multiple stars, he does not give a shit, this is why I think Toronto is in such a good spot with berube, who also has the same attributes.

I'm all for this hiring for a lot of the reasons you said This Team is talented But it needs a goalie And a Coach That Will Kick It's Ass

 

[Notsince67]

Well, when you talk about the coach, especially a new one, the talk also tends to be about what kind of players he will want on the team, thus the tendency to also steer into trade talk.

You presuppose that a coach has a shopping list to give to a gm upon hire. These are discussions had with team management. Berube didn't build the roster in St Louis. He got the roster to work and likely brought up issues with that after the fact. IMO, he will differentiate coaching styles from Keefe. If it's primarily a roster problem, Keefe likely wouldn't have been fired. The frenzy around here is akin to Lord of the Flies". If that is how MLSE runs...and it has in the past...this team will continue to be doomed. A new coach is a major development. Any trade done in the short term will not be because of Berube. It will be because management has a deal that it considers to be incrementally better.

 

[Sypher04]

Sure there is. Remember Babcock's trips to AZ to soothe poor baby Matthews?

Plus the whole constant playoff failure thing. Someone needs to get him to find that extra gear, because every single years he's well behind his "peers" like McD/Drai/Mac/Pasta/Rantanen etc.

The Babcock visiting Matthews thing is way overstated. We have no real idea the context surrounding why they met or what they talked about. Your comments of “poor baby Matthews” or that he required soothing are ridiculous. You were not there.

As for Matthews being capable of being better and needing to be, sure.
Also are we now pretending Pastrnak is a playoff performer and Matthews isn’t? They have been fairly similarly effective.

 

[Notsince67]

If Berube does rattle Matthews, it might turn out to be the best thing for him. For all that AM34 does, he’s got to take that next step to be Mackinnon, Draisaitl level in the playoffs. What looks like he’s missing is that extra jolt of emotion. If Berube makes him uncomfortable, challenges him and brings that fire out of him that’s mission accomplished on the coaching side.

He definitely isn't a lame duck coach with the length of his contract. He will not worry about ruffling feathers

 

[ACC1224]

There is no basis for anyone to be able to make such a claim. Depending on how exactly you mean this.

Baseless claims has basically become the theme of this board.

 

[Stephen]

You presuppose that a coach has a shopping list to give to a gm upon hire. These are discussions had with team management. Berube didn't build the roster in St Louis. He got the roster to work and likely brought up issues with that after the fact. IMO, he will differentiate coaching styles from Keefe. If it's primarily a roster problem, Keefe likely wouldn't have been fired. The frenzy around here is akin to Lord of the Flies". If that is how MLSE runs...and it has in the past...this team will continue to be doomed. A new coach is a major development. Any trade done in the short term will not be because of Berube. It will be because management has a deal that it considers to be incrementally better.

The Leafs turn over about 25-30% of the roster every summer, and the results are more or less carbon copies of themselves year over year in the first round despite these big changes in personnel. So it's not even a roster problem, whatever that looks like any given year but specifically a Keefe, Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Rielly problem.

We simply can't find 5 guys who will do all their jobs for them when it really matters, so we need a guy who can get more juice out of them, whomever is remaining.

 

[Stephen]

There is no basis for anyone to be able to make such a claim. Depending on how exactly you mean this.

There's nothing controversial about a hard nosed coach coming in to rattle the cage of a star player. Their job is to coax more out of a player and that's often done by upsetting the status quo.

Hopefully Matthews embraces this and takes another step or two forward.

 

[647Hockey]

What good is it to put up 111-115 regular season points playing Pond Hockey last goal wins in the regular season to being out in the first round each year when teams playing playoff style hockey?

Let me remind you the Florida Panthers won the President's trophy in 2021-22 season with 122 points, while the Leafs finished 4th with 115.

View attachment 872885

Both teams setting personal franchise best marks and easy outs in the 1st round.

Then the Florida Panthers traded their 115 point winger Huberdeau (who finished 2nd in scoring) for Matthew Tkachuk, and Leaf Nation thought the Panthers were done.

In 2022-23 the Bruins tore up the regular season with Leafs finishing 2nd in the Atlantic while Florida

View attachment 872897

The wild card Panthers finished off the Bruins in round #1 and nearly swept our Leafs in round #2 and now again going to final 4 now in back to back years.

So would you like to be like Florida and compete for the Cup in the final 4 or are you happy with the status quo core 4 and 1st round pretenders?

Believe it or not, lots of fans and management want that.

There's an old saying.... Offence sells tickets. Defence wins championships.

For the hardcore fan, they'll accept anything to win. If it means low scoring boring hockey like LA Kings and Jon Quick 10 years ago winning games 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, so be it.

A lot of people are casual fans. They'll support their local team, but they dont follow the team, players, stats etc... They just care about tons of goal scoring, homeruns or nailing twenty 3 pt bombs from beyond the arc. As long as the game footage is exciting, that's the most important thing since the regular season is most of the revenue and duration, while playoffs are short and limited money.

 

[JKG33]

I think Matthews needs to be motivated in a way that his scoring exploits and the playoff energy is all a unified theory of greatness. The way he scores the 70 fuels his playoff readiness, makes him unstoppable and it’s not a choose between one or the other or that there’s an imaginary line between regular season conservation and playoff readiness. No, don’t give us one or the other. Give us both. And more.

At the end of the day if he scores 35 or 75 goals it really doesn't matter if the playoff results continue to be abysmal for a player that's supposed to be as good as he gets credit for.

The Babcock visiting Matthews thing is way overstated. We have no real idea the context surrounding why they met or what they talked about. Your comments of “poor baby Matthews” or that he required soothing are ridiculous. You were not there.

As for Matthews being capable of being better and needing to be, sure.
Also are we now pretending Pastrnak is a playoff performer and Matthews isn’t? They have been fairly similarly effective.

Let me ask you this, what has Matthews shown in his career to make you think it's not all about him?

It's pretty telling of your argument that the only one that's debatable is the weakest one, and even then he blew Matthews away early in their careers. And now they've been about even despite Matthews having the other 3 to keep him company. Who does Pasta have to get points with? Marchand and a bunch of 2nd liners.

This is also ignoring the countless other players who make 50-75% of what Matthews does yet constantly out perform him and are rarely if ever in the Hart trophy conversation in the regular season. Guys like Miller, Guentzel, Trochek, Aho, Marchand, Zibanejad.. They're all supposed to be "worse" yet here they are

Tavares, if extended, will be cheap. Mitch, if extended, will break the bank. No thanks.

Yea I have no problem keeping a cheap Tavares even if he is a part of the loser culture. But a Danault/Staal/ROR type needs to be brought in to round out that center group

 

[mcleex]

If he's so great then why didn't another team hire him after he got fired

 

[Sypher04]

There's nothing controversial about a hard nosed coach coming in to rattle the cage of a star player. Their job is to coax more out of a player and that's often done by upsetting the status quo.

Hopefully Matthews embraces this and takes another step or two forward.

This is why I said it depends on how he means the comment. Obviously Berube is going to come in an make things more uncomfortable and challenge players publicly who are not performing to their full capability.

But I think the comment was intended to insinuate that this type of coaching will rattle Matthews in the sense that he won’t handle it well which I don’t see. Matthews strikes me as a guy who just wants to be the best he can be but might need a little push to take the next step.

 

[ChurchOfMatthews]

Have you watched a playoff game?

Some of these "fans" are happy just getting a participation trophy every year. The rest of us want Lord Stanley to be brought home.

 

[ITM]

Has Berube’s relationship with Mark Hunter been discussed? And the obvious implication that he may see Marner through a different lens?

I posed the question about Marner’s form and motivation in another thread, asking the question: Could Cowan bring out the best of Marner? A return of the player who didn’t avoid the net or the middle of the ice.

Because a motivated Marner is a player we wouldn’t trade away.

His recent, successive playoffs play demands a trade. I get that and agree.

But in the other thread where I ask a couple of questions to the pint above, I ask does anyone remember that former, better, pre-big money version of Marner?

If the right conditions return to maximize him, would it be better to keep him outright, or keep him long enough to raise his value?

I confess: I would have a tough time trading a return to form Marner. And I think as is customary with our fanbase, we’d note Kadri, Kessel and Hyman and ask ourselves, what is it that deforms our thinking in seemingly every situation.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Some of these "fans" are happy just getting a participation trophy every year. The rest of us want Lord Stanley to be brought home.

Habs made it to the cup finals 2021
Who cares
Only cups matter
Leafs are not even close