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

[rumman]

I think it's interesting that everyone glosses over the second Tampa series in these discussions. Does anyone think it's an accident that the Leafs' star players, to a man, all had excellent offensive numbers in that series, and generally only that series? Keefe's coaching didn't change in that series. The difference was that the Leafs had time and space, and Tampa's penalty killing and goaltending were mostly atrocious. When time and space is taken away from these guys, they struggle to produce offense. Maybe there is a coaching system that can change that outcome, but ultimately it's on these players to perform when performing isn't as easy.

well, apparently they're going to be held accountable going forward, respect in the hand shake line not withstanding............

How bout: 3) the core's play style has zero carry over to the playoffs. Goaltending didn't cost them shit this last series, you're not gonna score more than 2 f***ing goals a game I don't wanna hear anything about goaltending.

There is no "changing to playoff hockey", the core just hates physical grinding tough hockey so that's why their production drops off a cliff come postseason time.

yup, they need to play the same style from preseason on, no more shinny hockey until April..........

 

[Evilhomer]

well, apparently they're going to be held accountable going forward, respect in the hand shake line not withstanding............

That's a nice buzz word.

 

[Confucius]

View attachment 876241

We have some idea

Top 12 highest paid players in the league 2024-25.

View attachment 876250

Hard to argue team success and winning the Cup is the highest priority in a Salary Cap World.

If that were true, we’d be winning so money doesn’t make them tic

 

[rumman]

Betting Berube was not telling him how impressed he was with him vs Bruins.

or better yet telling him he had better bulk up because your not in Kansas anymore Toto...........

 

[Mess]

If that were true, we’d be winning so money doesn’t make them tic

The Leafs players chose personal gain and wealth $$$ as their top priorities and in a Salary Cap World that comes at the expense of the TEAM winning.

The Leafs playoff results speak for themselves.!! Leafs are ranked 32nd overall when it comes to winning playoff games.

Since the Salary Cap was introduced in 2004 and after 20 years in existence the Leafs have won 1 playoff series and 5 playoff games Max in any season.

The Leafs have 4 X forwards eat up 1/2 their entire salary cap leaving very little for goaltending, defense and team depth.

Mathews & Marner and Tavares are all cashing $11 mil personal salary cheques eating up $33 mil in Cap space and they combined for 3 playoff goals.

Demanding to be paid among the highest paid players in the game, and producing among the worst during the playoffs does not take rocket scientist to solve this mystery of what motivates Leafs stars.

 

[Confucius]

The Leafs players chose personal gain and wealth $$$ as their top priorities and in a Salary Cap World that comes at the expense of the TEAM winning.

The Leafs playoff results speak for themselves.!! Leafs are ranked 32nd overall when it comes to winning playoff games.

Since the Salary Cap was introduced in 2004 and after 20 years in existence the Leafs have won 1 playoff series and 5 playoff games Max in any season.

View attachment 876308

The Leafs have 4 X forwards eat up 1/2 their entire salary cap leaving very little for goaltending, defense and team depth.

Mathews & Marner and Tavares are all cashing $11 mil personal salary cheques eating up $33 mil in Cap space and they combined for 3 playoff goals.

Demanding to be paid among the highest paid players in the game, and producing among the worst during the playoffs does not take rocket scientist to solve this mystery of what motivates Leafs stars.

So as I said money isn’t making them tic, by that I mean motivating them to win.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Three of the four remaining teams were division winners. They have somehow figured out how to play well in both the regular season and the playoffs, and they are all built differently. The reality is that there is no single unique way to build a winning team. It comes down to the ability of the players to perform in the moment.

Teams that go deep in the playoffs fight through close checking and nerves with tying/winning/OT goals. Unless these guys find that level of sacrifice, they'll never win.

"Mitch, I have some good/bad news for you."

Wonder who paid.

 

[Mess]

So as I said money isn’t making them tic, by that I mean motivating them to win.

They don't care of winning in the playoffs, because they only get paid for the regular season. Once the money ends so does the motivation with the results.

Confucius says " Players with big paycheques, carry small sticks into the playoffs" , but new big golf clubs into the early offseason to enjoy their wealthy lifestyle and long summers off.

I think MLSE and Leafs new CEO has realized this and change is coming to Toronto. IMO

PS. Easier said then done when players have NMC, but where there is a will there is a way.

 

[ACC1224]

They don't care of winning in the playoffs, because they only get paid for the regular season. Once the money ends so does the motivation with the results.

Confucius says " Players with big paycheques, carry small sticks into the playoffs" , but new big golf clubs into the early offseason to enjoy their wealthy lifestyle and long summers off.

I think MLSE and Leafs new CEO has realized this and change is coming to Toronto. IMO

PS. Easier said then done when players have NMC, but where there is a will there is a way.

You're going to be disappointed if you're expecting all 4 of them to be moved.
They already have their money, what's their regular season motivation?

 

[Confucius]

They don't care of winning in the playoffs, because they only get paid for the regular season. Once the money ends so does the motivation with the results.

Confucius says " Players with big paycheques, carry small sticks into the playoffs" , but new big golf clubs into the early offseason to enjoy their wealthy lifestyle and long summers off.

I think MLSE and Leafs new CEO has realized this and change is coming to Toronto. IMO

PS. Easier said then done when players have NMC, but where there is a will there is a way.

We can go down that rabbit hole. Why try in the playoffs it just wears on your body and more than likely shortens your career. Lmao!

 

[IPS]

We can go down that rabbit hole. Why try in the playoffs it just wears on your body and more than likely shortens your career. Lmao!

believe it or not there's players out there who want to leave a legacy behind, not avoid contact all playoffs so they can have a nice fun summer at the cottage

 

[Mess]

We can go down that rabbit hole. Why try in the playoffs it just wears on your body and more than likely shortens your career. Lmao!

Now you get how its money that motivates them first and foremost. The longer the career the more contract years and the longer you get to get paid, therefore the more money you earn.

Notice how "winning" in the playoffs isn't even a primary discussion point in play here.

Its true physical players that hit and block shots and do everything in their power to help a team win, willing to make those personal sacrifices, often have shorter NHL careers because of wear and tear on the body, and the shorter the career the less potential earnings as a result. That however doesn't matter if Winning is your greatest priority,

A player like Matthews keeps taking the shortest contracts at the highest values, so he can maximize his earning potential as his contracts come up more often for renewal and raises. Where is the "Win at any expense" come into play here where the TEAM comes first?

Kucherov the best winger in the game is coming off a 144 point season including 100 assists and lead the playoffs in scoring twice, while leading his team to 2 X Stanley Cups and he makes $9.5 mil annually as his cap hit. . Marner who has never hit 100 points in a season and Leafs who have never won more than 5 games in any playoff season is already at $10.9 mil and looking for a nice raise to > $12 mil. How can anyone argue that post season production and winning is his highest priority when this production declines come playoff time?

With the new coaching change in Toronto the style of play is going to change and with that the player personnel that best helps the team win and find playoff success is the new #1 priority. To me that sounds like change is coming to Toronto. IMO

 

[rumman]

believe it or not there's players out there who want to leave a legacy behind, not avoid contact all playoffs so they can have a nice fun summer at the cottage

This describes Styles to a tee imo………

 

[Lightsol]

How bout: 3) the core's play style has zero carry over to the playoffs. Goaltending didn't cost them shit this last series, you're not gonna score more than 2 f***ing goals a game I don't wanna hear anything about goaltending.

There is no "changing to playoff hockey", the core just hates physical grinding tough hockey so that's why their production drops off a cliff come postseason time.

Yeah, physical grinding tough hockey explains why Matthews goes to the hash marks constantly in the regular season, but NEVER goes there in the playoffs. Or why everyone to a man suddenly thinks that the only good place to shoot is two feet from the front of the net and so they pass unless they're in that position.

 

[Lightsol]

I think it's interesting that everyone glosses over the second Tampa series in these discussions. Does anyone think it's an accident that the Leafs' star players, to a man, all had excellent offensive numbers in that series, and generally only that series? Keefe's coaching didn't change in that series. The difference was that the Leafs had time and space, and Tampa's penalty killing and goaltending were mostly atrocious. When time and space is taken away from these guys, they struggle to produce offense. Maybe there is a coaching system that can change that outcome, but ultimately it's on these players to perform when performing isn't as easy.

What happened in the two Tampa series is that the Leafs actually, for the first and only times since Babcock was the coach, tried to use their high flying offensive style in the playoff rather than try to grind it out, as they've done in every other series since Keefe took over.

The issue is that they reserve this "grind it out" style of play for the playoffs only, using a completely different style in the regular season. Yes, people keep saying "that high flying style won't work in the playoffs", but in that case you have two choices: 1) TRY IT; it can't be any worse than what you're getting now, or 2) Change to the grind it out style in the regular season and get the players playing that way BEFORE the playoffs. Keefe went with 3) Change to the "proper" playoff style in the playoffs and then scatch his head when the players sucked at it.

(Personally, another thing I would do if I were the coach is refuse to allow the players to talk to the media in the month before the playoffs and during it, because at this point the players need to not think about past failures while preparing for the playoffs, and the media will NOT help with that)

or better yet telling him he had better bulk up because your not in Kansas anymore Toto...........

The funny thing is, when it's all said and done I don't think Marner's going to be the one struggling to convert to the way Berube wants the team to play...

 

[rumman]

What happened in the two Tampa series is that the Leafs actually, for the first and only times since Babcock was the coach, tried to use their high flying offensive style in the playoff rather than try to grind it out, as they've done in every other series since Keefe took over.

The issue is that they reserve this "grind it out" style of play for the playoffs only, using a completely different style in the regular season. Yes, people keep saying "that high flying style won't work in the playoffs", but in that case you have two choices: 1) TRY IT; it can't be any worse than what you're getting now, or 2) Change to the grind it out style in the regular season and get the players playing that way BEFORE the playoffs. Keefe went with 3) Change to the "proper" playoff style in the playoffs and then scatch his head when the players sucked at it.

(Personally, another thing I would do if I were the coach is refuse to allow the players to talk to the media in the month before the playoffs and during it, because at this point the players need to not think about past failures while preparing for the playoffs, and the media will NOT help with that)


The funny thing is, when it's all said and done I don't think Marner's going to be the one struggling to convert to the way Berube wants the team to play...

I doubt Marner’s ever skated north south let alone played that way, but your right, plenty of players on the team will struggle with such a direct concept……….

 

[ULF_55]

All signs point to an extension.

No poop.

1. Change GM
2. Change Coach
3. Change Core

 

[francis246]

Beyond creepy for whoever took that photo

 

[IPS]

This describes Styles to a tee imo………

All the core really.

 

[francis246]

The Leafs players chose personal gain and wealth $$$ as their top priorities and in a Salary Cap World that comes at the expense of the TEAM winning.

The Leafs playoff results speak for themselves.!! Leafs are ranked 32nd overall when it comes to winning playoff games.

Since the Salary Cap was introduced in 2004 and after 20 years in existence the Leafs have won 1 playoff series and 5 playoff games Max in any season.

View attachment 876308

The Leafs have 4 X forwards eat up 1/2 their entire salary cap leaving very little for goaltending, defense and team depth.

Mathews & Marner and Tavares are all cashing $11 mil personal salary cheques eating up $33 mil in Cap space and they combined for 3 playoff goals.

Demanding to be paid among the highest paid players in the game, and producing among the worst during the playoffs does not take rocket scientist to solve this mystery of what motivates Leafs stars.

How about we add context, cause like always it’s never as black and white as you make it seem Mess.

I don’t think the players chose wealth over winning. Both the team and the players looked at the potential cap rise pre-covid and thought they can pay the players for their future value while having a competitive team because the cap would rise. I’m pretty sure if they knew Covid was going to happen or the cap was going to stagnant both the leafs and the players would do it differently. The only thing the Leafs should be held accountable is, when Covid came and the cap was known to be stagnant they should have adjusted and moved one of the core pieces instead of doubling down.

 

[Evilhomer]

The funny thing is, when it's all said and done I don't think Marner's going to be the one struggling to convert to the way Berube wants the team to play...

I tend to agree.

 

[rumman]

All the core really.

Yup……..

 

[francis246]

Got proof?








Yeah he really did a great job landing McCrimmon eh?





He desires sought after names? Yeah, so does the rest of the league. Why does desiring something impress you so much?





You're f***ing delusional.

Dubas was the next young hire. He had offers to interview from both Colorado and Arizona. It’s part of why he was promoted. Shanahan didn’t want to lose him. If Dubas wasn’t promoted it was a lock he was getting hired the next vacancy round. In hindsight, Shanahan should have let him go to Colorado. Keeping Lou around wouldn’t have been the worst thing.

As for Kelly, I think Kelly did what was best for himself. Why would he intentionally put himself in a 3 man race with Dubas, Hunter and Himself? Kelly made the best decision for himself so he could fast track to becoming an NHL GM. Don’t really think it had much to do with the organization as opposed to potentially limiting his growth by having to compete with 2 other AGM’s

 

[ULF_55]

The funny thing is, when it's all said and done I don't think Marner's going to be the one struggling to convert to the way Berube wants the team to play...

So Keefe didn't have to walk back comments after he brought up the short comings?

I think the Golden "Boys" will have some butt hurt that others have already experienced with demotions / benching.

 

[ULF_55]

Check out top producing playoff performances last 6 years and tell me where someone besides core 4 has stepped up?

There is less scoring in playoffs, but depth scoring hasn't existed.

Put all defense against Matthews, marner and Nylander you shutdown the Leafs. Other than the Montreal no show by marner and Matthews it is always the same.