Hayes & Button react to Berube’s post-game comments

I’m Sarah Davis with Brian Hayes and Craig Button. And guys, we just heard those comments from Craig Buru after last night’s embarrassing, disappointing loss. Hayes, what’s your reaction? >> Well, first and foremost, the problem last night was not about coaching. It was not about systems. It was about the players. They didn’t show up. There was no effort. There was no life in their game last night. But in terms of the big picture, obviously, when you discuss comments like that, it’s more than just one game. Like, I think Craig Barube is at an impass here. I think he’s had enough of these guys quite frankly. Maybe they’ve had enough of him. And when you say something like go ask them, that’s taking yourself out of the fight. I don’t think it’s a great look. But I think it was the last comment, Craig, that would be more concerning for me if I’m the GM, if I’m in ownership. Where Craig Craig Barub said, “The message is the message and basically they need to figure it out.” In other words, I’m not changing. I am who I am. I’ve won a Stanley Cup. I’ve been in this league for a long time. I’m going to continue to emphasize the message. The message isn’t working, right? Not just last night. Obviously, that was an effort issue, but they get caved in basically every single night. They get outshot every single night. >> He wants them to play with net front presence. They cannot control the front of their net. He wants them to be a big, heavy team that will charge into the corners and be a forcheing team and a cycle team. They don’t have it, Craig. So, something’s got to give here. As far as I’m concerned, it’s it’s a standoff. Coach versus players. And generally speaking, the players win in the end. Well, okay. If you call that winning, good. Way to go. Give a win to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’ll be another win that doesn’t matter. So, when you look at where Craig Ruby goes at it with you said, “Well, maybe they’ve had enough of him.” What the player should be doing is standing in front of the mirror and saying, “We’ve had enough of ourselves, not given an effort.” Listen, I can understand that maybe you don’t have enough talent, that maybe you struggle in certain areas. But at the end of the day, and it’s real simple, you control your effort. you control what you’re capable of doing when it comes to determination and effort. And the Toronto Maple Leafs have failed and too many of their players have failed and now we can’t we hear it all the time, Brian. Oh yeah, we got to be better. Yeah, it’s a message is taken. You know what? Your actions speak so loudly. I don’t even hear what you’re saying anymore. I watch the Vancouver Conucks and the Calgary Flames play on a regular basis. They bust their butts. They play hard. They fall short because they don’t have enough talent, but they never cheat themselves or the team on effort. And that’s what the Toronto Maple Leafs players are doing. They’re cheating themselves. And that will not end if you go and change the coach because until the players decide that they’re not going to cheat themselves, nothing’s going to change and nothing’s going to happen in terms of success. >> I guess that’s why Bubeu is so frustrated here is because he is not seeing that level of effort that is needed to play in the NHL. And Craig, you were a GM in the league. If you hear your coach saying these comments to the media, what would be your next steps? >> My next steps would be to fully support the coach. If if Brad Trey Leven is watching that and not showing support for his coach, then why even have a coach? Just ju just have somebody stand back there, have a cutout, stand behind the bench. Craig Buby’s won. Craig Buby’s always been a competitor. He didn’t play a thousand plus games in the NHL. He never cheated anybody on effort. So, as a GM, I would be 100% supportive of Craig Ruby. In fact, I would have come out today and said exactly that. >> Okay. I mean, something’s got to give here. And only two teams are worse than the Leafs in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres and Blue Jackets. Both of them are only one point back. So, Hayes, where do the Leafs go from here? >> Well, I mean, like Craig just said, if he was in Brad Chilling’s position, he would go out and support him right now. But I do think Trey Living has to make a decision. Is it the coach? Is it the players? Is it the job that I’ve done? Right. We got to bring the GM into there, too. He’s been here a long time, right? He’s put a lot of these pieces in place as well. And can you salvage the season? That is ultimately the question here because I think they’re running out of time for patience in terms of just saying we’re going to continue to go with the what we’re going here. We’re going to try to continue to poke and prod and get them back into the playoff. Figure it out. >> They’re 33 games in here, right? They’re chasing a playoff spot. They’re in a dark place. You mentioned it. there’s very few teams behind them. There’s a lot ahead of them. So, something has to give. Whether it’s if it’s the coach, then you got to get to the players. Maybe you got to make a trade. Maybe you’ve got to find a way to spark them. If you think you can salvage the season and you think the players are just simply underperforming because of the coach, then it’s probably imperative you go out and make a coaching change. But who’s that guy going to be? And is he here for the long term? Is it just about this season or do they have deeper problems where they need to retool for a year or two? And if that’s the case, then maybe it’s not in your best interest to go get a Peter Dbor, a John Tortoella, because who knows whether or not the GM will be here at the end of this season. >> That’s right. Boy, it’s f hard to find a silver lining with the Maple Leafs right now. And you talk about the future. Well, Money Puck uses analytics to find out each team’s chance of making the playoffs. The Leafs now have only an 18% chance of making it to the postseason.

Another disappointing effort and loss from the Maple Leafs spawned another exasperated postgame media session from head coach Craig Berube. OverDrive host Bryan Hayes and TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button react to another round of frustrating comments from Berube and where the Leafs go from here.

37 comments

  2. Please please do not let Treliving make any trades Minten and a 1st and fourth for Carlo😢😅 prospect and a 1st to Philly for laughton😢😂😅 he ruined Calgary and Leafs ate next…f…k they are already ruined.😂😂😂😂😂😂

  6. Berube is an atrocious coach he always looks dopey & the players have tuned him out ever since the playoff lose.

    TreLAZY & Berube both need to be FIRED but Pelley is doesn't have the smarts to can them both.

    Now onto the players these players are absolute HORSEHIT.

    The main leaders are soft uninterested LOSERS!

    Matthews
    Nylander
    Tavares
    Domi
    McMann
    Reilly
    Carlo

    All need to be traded someway somehow these players are horrendous HORSEHIT & they will never win with these players they all have no nuts!🥜

  9. I hope they get Torts as coach. Not because I want Berube to get fired. Quite the opposite, I want Torts to make life miserable for Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Reilly to the point that he benches all 4 of them and embarrass them constantly and ruin them permanently.

  13. The Leafs # 1 problem is they have a bad GM. Treeliving pretty much loses on every trade he makes. The only player I like that he acquired is Tanev. The rest are garbage. Just to name a few Domi, Laughton, Maccelli, Joshua, Lorentz , Roy and Carlo have all been busts. They are not even worth paying the minimum wage to play in the NHL. These are all bad players. And then you have a player like Nylander who is not even trying most nights. He gets $11.5 million annually for not doing any work most nights. Tavares works every night. Matthews does not have a line mate to feed him the puck. The Leafs miss Marner. Right now they have no set up man for Matthews. He starves most nights. If I was Keith Pelley I would keep Treeliving on a short leash. He should not be allowed to make a trade. The Leafs need to find a new GM. Someone who actually knows what they are doing. The one they have now is a real dumb dumb. That is their biggest problem. I would fire him and get someone working as an Assistant with another NHL club. Someone young and bright. And make that person the New GM. Because right now they are only going to get worse. I can't watch them anymore. They are a bad hockey team. Real Bad. I watch something else on TV and Not The Leafs. Or I turn off the TV. They are really bad…

  18. The team isn't built for Berube to work. Treliving isn't the right GM either. Time for another rebuild. Maybe I'll see a cup before I die in 40 years

  23. Berube is doing the same thing as Tocchet properly ruining some players (and only play one system).
    There is not a single elite player (especially on or on the verge of national teams) that does not work their ass off to win. It just does not work.
    Leafs is missing a bonafide worldclass goalie like Brodeur and Roy as well as a Norris Trophy defensemen.

  27. heart, desire and effort has been questioned with this group for the last 10 years, so why are we still questioning it? This team had a good run last year, so what is the difference between this year and last year? They are without their best forward/player, dman and goalie. So lets cut them some slack there. The other difference is Matthews is even less effective this year. He has lost a step. Everyone knows this. Is it because of age or injury? This is where the Leafs organization I feel needs to make a statement. If he is injured then admit it, if he is not then he needs to be called out specifically by the coach/GM. This is your friggin captain, we need explanation on his play.

  31. This era sucks, and Matthews will pass Sundin for all the records and THAT'S so sad. This guy is one of the worst captains and has done nothing in the playoffs.

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