News of the New York Islanders firing Patrick Roy and hiring Peter DeBoer sent shockwaves throughout the NHL. But, as always, the Toronto Maple Leafs are part of the discussion, even if tangentially.
You might recall that earlier this season, the chatter surrounding the Leafs posited that Craig Berube was about to get the heave-ho. His purported replacement was Peter DeBoer.
DeBoer, who had been fired by the Dallas Stars following their embarrassing elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, publicly stated that he wasn’t interested in returning to the NHL.
In fact, DeBoer was adamant about the fact that he wanted to remain focused on his role as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the Olympics.
Reports also surfaced that DeBoer had personally contacted Berube to reassure him that he wasn’t trying to horn in on his job.
Well, how times change. DeBoer is now officially back in the NHL. While there’s nothing wrong with the New York Islanders, the move just proves that DeBoer wasn’t interested in coaching. He just wasn’t interested in coaching the Maple Leafs.
There could be multiple reasons for this move. Perhaps DeBoer felt the Toronto media market was too much for him. Maybe he just didn’t like the way management handled things. It could have been that he didn’t get along with Brad Treliving or some of the higher-ups.
Maybe it was all of the above.
Whatever the case, seeing DeBoer head to Long Island, not just for the remainder of the season, but for the foreseeable future, suggests that DeBoer felt the situation in Toronto was a matter of, “It’s not me, it’s you.”
Perhaps that was the ultimate reason why the Leafs held onto Berube and only jettisoned Marc Savard. The club just couldn’t find a suitable replacement for Berube. So, they kept him. The results were evident this season.
As a final note, you have to admire the Islanders’ guts for making a move, even at this point in the season. The team has four games to go and wasn’t afraid of pulling the trigger.
That’s something the Maple Leafs should have done back in November or December. The team lacked the guts to make the move, so here we are, talking about how another organization has shown the Leafs how to take care of business.