Craig Berube at center of Maple Leafs management-coach disconnect
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
According to James Mirtle, the Maple Leafs and Craig Berube are facing a disconnect and his time with the team is all but assuredly over but the real question remains if it happens now, or after the season.
Berube's tenure as Maple Leafs head coach has had both the highest of highs and lowest of lows it seems. He led the club to an Atlantic Division title last season and had the best debut season ever for a Toronto coach, but the 2025-26 year has been anything but fun.
Mired in a six-game losing streak, facing a tough deadline where they are still mum on whether or not they are selling (or even can), and with a roster that would have a hard time playing against an AHL team -- things are dire in Toronto and James Mirtle knows the next steps.
Toronto and Craig Berube at odds during tumultuous season
According to Mirtle on the JD Bunkis Podcast, the Maple Leafs have already decided to move on from Berube, and his chances of being back next year are basically zero, with the only question being does it happen now, or later:
I heard that Berube was culpable for a lot of the roster because he had such a big voice. That's what others are saying, that's dangerous. Babcock did it with [Patrick] Marleau; I think the chances he comes back are almost nil.
They need ownership to approve letting him go, but there's a team who wants to hire him and they'll pay the money needed; the question is do you do it soon or do you do it at the end of the season?
They need ownership to approve letting him go, but there's a team who wants to hire him and they'll pay the money needed; the question is do you do it soon or do you do it at the end of the season?
Suffice to say it's a hard decision for management regardless of the fans screaming for change. Finding a team who wants him is priority one, then you gotta see if they are willing to pay the rest of his potentially multi-million dollar salary.
Who replaces Berube, and when?
Then comes the next step of finding your interim coach. They have a pretty good one already in Derek Lalonde, and he can at least ride things out for the rest of the season until the team has a better idea of the direction they want to go in.
There's also Peter DeBoer who could be an option, and there are always dark horse candidates like Mark Giordano, Bruce Boudreau, or even someone like Gerard Gallant provided his health holds up.
Berube having so much extra responsibility in building the roster was a double-edged sword as you want a coach who brings in guys who he feels works within his system, but you also want to be careful of what that system actually entails; you need the right personnel to run it (not slow, aging players).
So whether it's now, or at the end of the season -- the Maple Leafs need to find a new coach and get a new voice that the players will actually listen to.
Or maybe they do what they've always done and wait until it's too late to really make a difference.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Video shows Maple Leafs players quit on Berube vs Rangers
Video shows Maple Leafs players quit on Berube vs Rangers
| POLL | ||
MARS 7|800 ANSWERS Craig Berube at center of Maple Leafs management-coach disconnect Should the Maple Leafs fire Craig Berube? | ||
| Yes do it now! | 450 | 56.3 % |
| Do it in the summer! | 263 | 32.9 % |
| No keep him! | 87 | 10.9 % |
| List of polls | ||