Craig Berube Criticizes Forward After Tough Loss to Rangers: He's got to battle a little bit harder for pucks

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was visibly frustrated following a tough 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night. Coming away from such a defeat, the Leafs fell short in the game, and Berube didn't mince his words in the post-game presser.

Most of his criticism dealt with the generally poor offensive effort of the team, but it wasn't hard to read between the lines that one player in particular, forward Pontus Holmberg, was right in the middle of the coach's fiery rant.

Berube wanted to make it clear he wasn't blaming the loss on Pontus Holmberg, nor was he singling him out as the reason for the team's struggles. Instead, the coach said all of the forwards hadn't performed well enough to sustain the pressure necessary to have success at a high level. But when asked about Holmberg specifically and his limited ice time, Berube certainly wasn't quiet. He called out the 24-year-old forward, plainly stating recent performances by Holmberg weren't good enough.

That was pretty evident by Pontus Holmberg's stat line on Saturday. He saw just 11 minutes and 18 seconds of ice time, a shade below the norm for a player in his role. His night was further soured by a minor penalty and a rating of -1, which showed that his play was not only ineffective but perhaps counterproductive to the team's goals. It wasn't only in this game that Holmberg struggled; comments from Craig Berube indicated a pattern of underperformance that has been noted by the coaching staff.

Craig Berube calling out Pontus Holmberg in such a way begs some questions about the young forward's future in Toronto. Calling out a player in such a manner can be a wake-up call at times, but at the same time, it's a calculated risk not to ruin the player's confidence. He will most likely be under the microscope going into these games, and fans and analysts alike will look to him for the reaction. With the Toronto Maple Leafs' season still early, it's evident that Berube is keenly awaiting a far greater commitment from his participants as the level of competition escalates.

Whether Craig Berube's tough love ultimately pays off remains to be seen, but the next test comes for him and his charges on Monday when the Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning. A much better effort by Pontus Holmberg would go some distance in reestablishing at least some confidence in this young player's potential. If not, Berube may be forced to further consider his lineup moving forward.