NHL Analysts Point to Major Change Under Craig Berube Behind the Maple Leafs Bench
Craig Berube's made a lot of changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his biggest might be just the mentality shift with both the team and their head coach.
The Toronto Maple Leafs. The team that hasn't won it all in 58 years, and one of the NHL's most polarizing franchises over the last little bit. Mostly successful during the regular season slate, the issue comes with the playoffs and their lack of ability to produce when it matters.
Sheldon Keefe tried his best, but a costly mental error in Game 7 led to his dismissal at the conclusion of last season, and he was scooped up by the New Jersey Devils to be their new bench boss.
Craig Berube entered the scene and made an instant impact with his no-nonsense attitude, old-school style of coaching and providing a brand new look to a team that has sorely needed one.
But according to some analysts, it's how Berube's guided his team so far this postseason that's really turned some heads.
Craig Berube Gives Toronto Best Chance To Win In Playoffs: NHL Analysts
The emergence of Craig Berube as the main factor behind Toronto's playoff success can be explained succinctly by Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne, and Sam McKee.
Kypreos started things off:
I've never seen a hockey club, especially in Toronto, play so solid between the docks, in the middle of the ice and very seldom getting caught out of position; so many times they've been on the wrong side of the puck for years, but this season, you can find only a handful of them in the first three games.
Bourne then agreed and gave his own take on the matter:
They have a lineup they can trust, even all their forwards play over 10 minutes, even in the last little bit of a tie game, each line got two shifts. There's a lot of trust.
But it was McKee who relented that all of the players' success can boil down to the coaching change this year:
It is something about these players but the coaching philosophy to me, instead of years past where they are trying to win one round, they are trying to go on a run. Think about what it would be under Sheldon Keefe; Marner and Matthews play what? 25 minutes?
McKee is alluding to the fact that both Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews ended up playing under 20 minutes each; and it's not for a lack of production either.
Both men have combined for 11 points (2G, 9A) in the through the first three games, and if this is a sign of things to come, then Toronto is going to have a lot of success in the playoffs.
It's Berube's time and lineup management that should be commended, and while there were some growing pains initially, everyone has bought in and it's working. Players have roles they stick with, they know their place in the lineup, and Berube maximizes every bit of their skillset where he can.
Even in the last game of the season, a meaningless game, instead of sitting his best players, or trying to overwork them even though they are comfortably set for the playoffs; he gave his other pieces time to shine.
Keefe wouldn't really do that, as he played Marner and Matthews a combined 82:48 the last two games of the season in 2023-24 compared to Berube's 71:45; it's an incredible drop-off and shows that Toronto is better suited for a longer push as opposed to wasting all their energy in the first round.
So kudos to Craig Berube for how he's given the Maple Leafs a chance this season. It's a lot to do with how the players have performed, but they wouldn't have been able to do so without the leadership of their bench boss.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 26 | 406 ANSWERS NHL Analysts Point to Major Change Under Craig Berube Behind the Maple Leafs Bench Do you think Craig Berube should be nominated for the Jack Adams Trophy for his successful season with Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 331 | 81.5 % |
| No | 75 | 18.5 % |
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