The dismissal of Craig Berube was a long time coming. The Maple Leafs finally found the guts to make the move, firing the second-year coach on Wednesday.
While the move was the right one, it came far too late.
The move should have happened last December. That was around the time the Leafs fired assistant coach Marc Savard, but doubled down on Berube being the guy. The vote of confidence sparked a brief turnaround, only to see the wheel completely fall off the wagon. The Leafs still had a reasonable chance to make the playoffs right up to the Olympic break.
On February 4, Toronto was six points out of a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators were eight points behind. The Philadelphia Flyers were nine points out.
The Senators and Flyers went on a post-Olympic tear, while the Leafs fizzled out completely. The Leafs lost their final seven games to lock in the fifth-worst record in the NHL. That situation brought a silver lining, which was the NHL Draft Lottery.
But what if the Leafs had the guts to fire Berube back in December? What if they had brought in another coach like the Columbus Blue Jackets did with Rick Bowness?
What if there was someone else out there like John Tortorella (gasp)?
The New York Islanders and Vegas Golden Knights made coaching changes late in the season. The move has worked out for Vegas thus far, while not for the Islanders.
Still, the Leafs had a chance to rescue the season. Instead, former GM Brad Treliving let things burn to the ground, with Berube standing by like a deer caught in the headlights.
Berube would have been a lame-duck coach for Maple Leafs in 2026-27
In all honesty, this move is a little surprising to me. I could have sworn that John Chayka would have let Berube start the season, and depending on how things went, make the move early next season. However, Berube would have been a lame-duck coach. He might not have been able to rally his troops, essentially going through the motions during training camp and the beginning of the season.
As such, the organization would have just wasted time. But it could have been a necessary move to proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that a coaching change was necessary.
The rationale is that new GMs essentially have one coaching change in their tenure. If they get it right, well, they look smart. But if they make a mistake, it could end up costing them dearly.
The timing of this move is certainly the most interesting. As David Pagnotta reported, Chayka and Mats Sundin met with Berube over the weekend to talk about the road ahead. After that meeting, this decision came down.
Toronto's new GM John Chayka and Sr Exec Advisor Mats Sundin met with Craig Berube over the weekend to go over both their plans/direction. Now, what does this "organizational shift" mean? Do they go first-year HC?
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 13, 2026
It seems that there is a vision, and Berube just didn’t fit it. Chayka and Sundin deserve credit for sitting down with Berube before giving him the heave-ho. But then again, a shift, such as the one the Leafs are apparently trying to pull off, requires major organizational changes.
It’s worth pointing out that the focus will now be on a younger coach. While Bruce Cassidy’s name has been out there, it doesn’t seem that’s the direction the Maple Leafs will be going. Speculating about Berube’s replacement is a topic for another day. What I will say is that the Leafs’ next coach will be someone who may be getting their first shot at the NHL.
So, it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone who is an assistant making the jump, or an AHL head coach getting his big break.
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