3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs might regress under Craig Berube

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Sep 21, 2024 22:03 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs decided to terminate head coach Sheldon Keefe in May following another opening-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs. In his place, the Leafs hired Craig Berube, who had been dismissed from the St. Louis Blues midway through the 2023-24 season.

Berube is only five years removed from having coached the Blues to a first-ever Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and was considered among the more sought-after head coaching commodities that were up for grabs.

But will the Leafs finally be able to get over the hump and enjoy sustained postseason success with a new bench boss?

Can Mitch Marner perform under a hard-nosed coach?

A talented forward in regular season play, Marner has faced significant criticism for his lack of production during the postseason for the last several years. Now-former head coach Sheldon Keefe implied that he handled Marner differently than his teammates, which many interpreted as a subtle jab at Marner's ability to handle pressure-filled situations.

Berube is known for his ruthless approach to coaching, and there won't be any special treatment for players like Marner. Could this result in a drop in regular-season production?

The new Leafs coach is also known for his direct and up-front, demanding methods, which is something that many Leafs players are not used to after having played several years under Keefe.

Craig Berube's coaching style focuses more on physical play

The Maple Leafs have been known for the last several seasons for having a strong offensive attack, led by reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews, who won the award by scoring 69 goals in 2023-24.

Berube's approach to coaching places emphasis on tougher, more physical play and less offensive flair. While this may result in better results in the long term, Leafs fans may have to get used to not seeing their team score at the rate they've been used to.

A new voice doesn't always equal success

The Maple Leafs have won only a single postseason series since 2004, and have hired several different head coaches since then, all of whom experienced the same lack of postseason success.

Many believed that former 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Babcock was the solution for what ailed the Leafs, but he wasn't able to get the team over the hump past the opening round of the postseason. And while his successor in Sheldon Keefe did help the Leafs to the aforementioned postseason series victory, it wasn't enough for him to keep his job.

Berube is a Cup-winner in his own right but was terminated by the Blues after consecutive opening-round postseason losses in 2020 and 2021, a second-round postseason series loss in 2022, and missing the postseason outright in 2022-23.