Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke with the media and touched upon William Nylander's actions during Sunday afternoon's loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
During Sunday afternoon's contest against the Colorado Avalanche, the Leafs star winger gave the camera a middle finger while sitting up in the press box with his teammates. He later apologized for it being shown on the broadcast and admitted it was because he was frustrated.
Craig Berube accepts William Nylander's apology
Berube's response to Nylander was more relaxed than many would expect.
"Made a mistake. He owned up to it. You know, things happen. People make mistakes. Players make mistakes. Coaches make mistakes. It happens ... He knows it’s wrong & he owned up to it," the Leafs coach said.
Berube seemed to understand where Nylander was coming from, and knows Nylander knows better, and is not worried about it moving forward.
Craig Berube on William Nylander:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 26, 2026
"Made a mistake. He owned up to it. You know, things happen. People make mistakes. Players make mistakes. Coaches make mistakes. It happens ... He knows it’s wrong & he owned up to it"@TSN_Sports
Nylander owns up to his mistake
While Nylander and Berube owned up to the mistake and are trying to move past it, there needs to be a conversation with the team's leaders about being leaders moving forward. This simple action involving Nylander looks terrible for the Maple Leafs. It appears that the Maple Leafs' leaders don't hold themselves to a high standard and set a good example for the rest of the players. Leafs management will need to sit down and have a talk about becoming more mature and taking situations seriously, or else nothing will change moving forward.
The Maple Leafs are one of the most skilled teams in the NHL, but they don't show it. They constantly get outplayed night in and night out, and don't seem to really care about the process. They need to act the part and begin to take charge of their actions and hold each other accountable. If none of these changes don't expect the Maple Leafs to get back into the playoff picture anytime soon.
The Maple Leafs are set to close out their homestand on Tuesday night in a much-needed win against the Buffalo Sabres. The Maple Leafs trail the Bruins by six points heading into Tuesday night's game.