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Maple Leafs expected to make surprising decision.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are last in the Atlantic Division, but the team is expected to keep things status quo.
Toronto has struggled this season, and many fans have called for the Maple Leafs to fire Craig Berube. Those calls only increased after Toronto’s 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
However, according to Maple Leafs insider Nick Alberga, Toronto isn’t expected to make a coaching change amid their losing season.
“Things can change quickly, but behind the scenes, it sure sounds like the Leafs’ preference is to not make a coaching change,” Alberga wrote. “That said, as the losses and inconsistent efforts continue to pile up, it really feels like Brad Treliving may have no choice here.”
It is a bit of a surprise that the Maple Leafs aren’t making a coaching change, as many expected it to happen. However, general manager Brad Treliving appears to be confident in Berube and thinks the Stanley Cup-winning head coach can help turn the season around.
Toronto is now 15-15-5 following the loss to the Stars and is on a three-game losing streak. The Maple Leafs are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.
Maple Leafs Coach Liked The Team’s Play
Although Toronto suffered a lopsided loss to the Stars on Sunday, Berube liked how the team played.
The Maple Leafs were aggressive on offense as Toronto had plenty of chances early on, but Jake Oettinger shut the door for the Stars. Following the loss, Berube praised the Maple Leafs’ effort.
“Through two periods I really liked our game,” Berube said postgame. “Lots of chances and opportunities. It’s not going in right now. Eventually it wears on you throughout the game. Third period they got that third goal and it set us back pretty good. I thought we defended extremely well tonight. That’s a good team over there, we all know that. We didn’t give up much.”
Toronto forward Scott Laughton, meanwhile, echoed Berube’s words as he liked how the team played against the Stars, especially on the road.B
“I thought we were better, for sure,” Laughton said. “We created chances for ourselves, we made a lot of plays through the middle of the ice, and just couldn’t get one to go when we needed it. They were opportunistic in their play and got a couple in the third.
“It’s tough sledding right now. You lose all three on the road, it’s not a great feeling, but we’re going to have to figure it out here and come out of this. We have the guys to do it. It’s just putting it together here, but yeah, it was better.”
Fans Call for Berube to be Fired
Amid Toronto’s losing season, Maple Leafs fans are calling for Berube to be fired.
Berube is in his second season with Toronto, and fans believe his message is no longer working.
“I never call for a coach to be fired. But the Craig Berube experiment in Toronto is just not working,” a fan wrote.
“That’s it for the short lived Craig Berube era. Time for a real system and a fresh voice. I wonder if he gets fired tonight or in the morning,” another fan added.
“Fire Craig Berube, his systems do not work with the Leafs best players,” a fan wrote.
The Maple Leafs will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday afternoon.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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