Former NHL general manager Doug MacLean shared his strong opinion about the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ coach, Craig Berube, on Wednesday. He isn’t buying the growing narrative that the second-year head coach is to blame for the Leafs’ midseason inconsistency.
Speaking on Daily Faceoff, MacLean shifted responsibility away from the bench and placed it squarely on the team’s core players, which includes names like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, and Max Domi, etc.
“I’m not buying that Craig Berube is the problem. I really don’t,” MacLean said. “I mean, I think he’s a good coach. Do I think he’s a great coach? Probably not, but he’s a good coach.
“I would love to see unbelievable pressure put on these players. Treliving, Pelley, whoever is the real boss, come out and say, We’re not going to do anything, and you guys better get it going.”
MacLean’s blunt criticism comes as the Leafs sit at 12-11-3, a far cry from their strong 8-5-1 start to the 2025–26 season. Despite averaging a healthy 3.42 goals per game, defensive lapses have undermined their progress, with the team allowing 3.46 goals per game, ranking near the bottom of the league.
The power play has also sputtered, highlighted by a costly miscue against the Florida Panthers that MacLean called “That’s a U16 play.”
“I mean, horrendous play by all your best players on the team… and it really could have been a turning point,” MacLean said about Panthers’ Sam Reinhart’s goal. “So I would love to see the pressure put squarely, squarely on the guys, and I think Craig’s trying to do that.”
Craig Berube on Leafs’ strong 4-1 win over Panthers
The Toronto Maple Leafs stayed strong and won 4-1 over the Panthers on Tuesday, showing what the team can look like when fully engaged. Troy Stecher, Dakota Joshua, Scott Laughton, and Tavares each had a goal, while Joseph Woll turned aside 26 shots in a complete team effort.
Craig Berube praised the performance as one of the fastest-paced games of this season.
“Good win. I thought everyone contributed tonight,” Berube said, via NHL.com, “…Did a lot of good things tonight. It’s good to see. Tonight was probably, I would say, one of the fastest paced games we played all year. We closed on people and checked…Pace was really good.”
Still, MacLean insists the accountability must fall on Toronto’s stars, not Craig Berube.
With standout efforts from Nylander and Tavares keeping Toronto afloat, the Leafs remain capable. However, unless their top players respond to the challenge, MacLean warns the team’s issues will not disappear anytime soon.
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Edited by Ankit Kumar