The Toronto Maple Leafs are closing in on hiring a brand new general manager as they form what the front office is going to look like going forward. But what about behind the bench? We just got some clarification as to what the Leafs are looking to do about Craig Berube.
Last season was a disaster and that might be putting it lightly. For a Maple Leafs team who was looking to take a step forward without Mitch Marner and put a new gritty identity out on the ice, they absolutely failed in just every sense of the word. Now, we're hoping for some draft lottery results to go our way.
The man in charge of the tactics on the ice, should probably answer for this horrific campaign, right? Well, thankfully he just might.
Craig Berube's job might not be safe at all with the Maple Leafs
On an episode of Leafs Morning Take this week, NHL insider Andy Strickland gave some encouraging words for those fans that want Berube to not be behind the Toronto bench next season.
NEW MANAGEMENT, NEW COACH? 🤔
— Leafs Morning Take (@LMTake_) April 29, 2026
"I think the sense is that they would probably move on from Craig Berube, & make a wholesale change.."
- @andystrickland @thegoldenmuzzy | @TheFourthPeriod pic.twitter.com/s2zmuGFlW0
Andy Strickland was asked how the head coach can even think about next season and prepare for it, while not knowing his fate, and what he thinks happens to Berube this summer.
"I asked somebody that same question the other day, and I love Chief, man, and I know he's going to get another opportunity if he laeves Toronto but I think the sense is that they would probably move on from Craig Berube and make a wholesale change," Strickland said.
"I think if you're going to change managers and you are going to make that type of decision, you're almost best bringing in a new head coach at the same time."
This means a whole lot coming from an insider, but it also means a significant amount more coming from Stickland, who covered Berube during his time in St. Louis. If anyone would try and not be so brutally honest about the Leafs eventually firing Berube and try to save face, it would be him.
But, it looks like we just have to wait and see what the new management is going to look like and then we'll get an answer on Berube's job security. But as Strickland mentioned, it would be a little bit awkward to not just clean house and start over in every single position for this team -- we saw it happen with the one single season of Sheldon Keefe on the Leafs bench under Brad Treliving and while the on-ice results were good (during the regular season) it just looked like something that was inevitable, was delayed.
We're still going to wait for any official news, but there is at least a glimmer of hope that Berube's poor attempt of making this Leafs team the Broad Street Bullies, can be put to an end.
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