Well, with the playoffs over for the Leafs, it is a time to reflect on how things have changed in the organization and how that translated in the playoffs this year. This year was the second time since 2004 that the Leafs got past the first round of the playoffs, and they were much more competitive this time around than they were back in 2023. In 2023, the Leafs only managed to win one game against the Florida Panthers and lost the series in Game 5. This last time around, though, was different, they started the series off strong, winning two games and managing to force a Game 7. What was the thing that changed from the 2022-23 playoffs? The coach.
Lots of people have been saying that the Leafs have felt like a different team this past season, and there is some validity to that statement. While the players are mostly the same, the biggest change is the style that Craig Berube has introduced, which is so different from Sheldon Keefe's. Keefe's system of play (east-west approach) differs from Berube's north-south approach, and how Berube's system was designed with playoff hockey in mind. Even if it wasn't enough this year.
Keefe's System (East-West System)
This system is called the East-West system due to how players are trained to move when following the system, moving the puck from one side of the rink to the other via passing to a teammate while moving towards the opponent's net. It focuses on puck possession. If you possess the puck and the other team doesn't, then how can they possibly score? This method resulted in the Leafs having an outstanding puck possession ratio under Keefe. According to Natural Stat Trick data, the Leafs' Corsi possession percentage dropped from 50.95% under Keefe in 2023-24 to 47.38% under Berube this season.
Berube's System (North-South System)
Berube's approach is called North-South and is designed to get the puck deep into the offensive zone. Instead of maintaining possession through passing, it relies on forechecking to do that and is a more aggressive style of hockey, which translates better in the playoffs, as that's when the game overall gets more aggressive. It creates constant pressure on the defending team and creates a more chaotic scene then the East-West system.
Both systems work well in the regular season, as the Leafs consistently made the playoffs under Keefe and made it under Berube in his first year as coach. It's just that when the game becomes as physical and aggressive as it does in the playoffs, you have to be physical and aggressive as well and not rely just on technical passes.
Now, how did the North-South system translate in the playoffs? Well, it worked well against Ottawa clearly as the Leafs won that series, but it also worked on Florida for the first two games until Florida learned how to counter it. It can be directly compared to the obliteration at the hands of Florida in the 2022-23 playoffs, where Toronto only won a single game, to this year's playoffs, where the team managed to force Game 7 and keep up with Florida's aggression. So Berube's way of doing business is better than Keefe's when it comes to the playoffs, it's just the fact is that Florida is a very tough opponent and had Toronto's number.
As Berube's time with the team continues and his North-South approach sinks in more, the Leafs should start to see more playoff success. It can take time to learn new things, and after five seasons of Keefe's East-West approach, which usually led to early exits and that the team was built around this new system will take time to master and refine. But so far, the results have been promising.