Maybe Craig Berube Is the Answer to Toronto Maple Leafs Success?

The last time Craig Berube became a head coach, his team won a Stanley Cup just a few months later, so is the same fate in store for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

When you look back at Sheldon Keefe's tenure as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you could reflect with disappointment, but it should be celebrated.

Keefe took over a team that had grown tired of Mike Babcock's terrible coaching techniques and turned them into an Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Keefe displayed three of the four highest winning percentage regular seasons in Leafs franchise history and if his big boys showed up in Game 7's, he may have lifted a trophy himself. His coaching style had nothing to do with the playoff results, as he's shown that he can win at every level he's ever coached, most notably displayed by his 2017-18 Calder Cup championship with the Toronto Marlies.

Berube Coaching Change Is All the Toronto Maple Leafs Need

During that run with the Marlies, Keefe's best players showed up in the biggest moments and his goaltender was the best player on the ice, and as a result, they ended up winning the biggest prize in the American Hockey League.

Despite his best efforts, it was time for Keefe to move on and it could be the best thing that's happened to the Leafs in years. As mentioned, Keefe didn't do anything wrong during his tenure, but a fresh new voice in the room has paid diviends to teams over the years. As previously mentioned, when Berube took over the head coaching job in St. Louis, his team won the Stanley Cup that season, which isn't rare in hockey.

In order to win a Stanley Cup, all you need to do is get in the playoffs and get hot at the right time. A coaching change can spark a season and give new life to a team, which is exactly what happened in St. Louis. The Blues were one of the worst teams in hockey at the beginning of the year, but by June they were lifting the Stanley Cup.

Since the NHL Lockout, five coaches have won the Stanley Cup in their first year and nine have won the Stanley Cup in their second year. Of those who won it in their first or second year, head coaches such as Joel Quenneville, Darryl Sutter and Mike Sullivan all went onto win another Stanley Cup right after as well.

As seen by those nine head coaches who won within their first two years, it's safe to say that a new voice can inspire immediate results. We talk about the Leafs needing to trade Mitch Marner, acquire a top defenseman or goaltender, but in reality, maybe all they needed to do was hire Craig Berube?

Maybe a new voice is all this team needs and it'll result in the Leafs winning their first Stanley Cup in almost 60 years. Or maybe they'll just lose in the First Round once again. We'll have to wait and see but history would suggest that the Berube hiring will have an immediate impact on this franchise.