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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ coaching change on Monday is a harbinger of bigger moves to come if things don’t turn around.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced their first coaching change of the season. On Monday, the team relieved assistant coach Marc Savard of his role with the team.
The news, as initially reported by Michael Whitaker here at Heavy, is a harbinger of the moves to come this season.
Savard, as Whitaker noted, was the Leafs’ power play coach. Under his watch, the Maple Leafs sank to the bottom of the NHL with the man advantage. Entering Monday’s action, Toronto sits dead last with a 13.3% power play rating.
Beyond the move to improve the power play, the coaching change was a salvo sent by upper management to the rest of the organization. More changes will be forthcoming if things don’t turn around.
It’s worth pointing out that Savard’s firing acknowledges one clear pain point. The Maple Leafs’ power play has reached epic proportions of futility. As Joshua Kloke noted in a piece in The Athletic following last Thursday’s game against the Capitals, the power play was “god-awful.”
The comment was not Kloke’s, but Craig Berube’s. The Maple Leafs’ head coach acknowledged that their play with the man advantage just isn’t living up to scratch. That’s why Savard got the heave-ho.
But the Maple Leafs’ problems, unfortunately, run much deeper than just the power play.
Maple Leafs Issues Go Beyond the Power Play
If the Maple Leafs’ lone issue was the power play, they would be in a position like the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have the 26th-best power play in the league at 16.4%. Despite the low power play rating, the Avalanche lead the league with 4.03 goals per game.
What does that mean? It means the Avalanche score 5v5. Their play at even strength is enough to offset any shortcomings with the man advantage. But that’s not the case for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is not scoring enough 5v5 to make up for the dull power play. All right, so the Maple Leafs are 11th in the league with 3.11 goals per game.
So, what gives? It’s the defensive side of the play that also makes a significant difference. The Avalanche lead the league with a 2.17 goals-against average. They also lead the league with a .921 save percentage. That’s why Colorado is kicking butt. They lead the league in scoring, and they also top the NHL in defense.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 15th with an .899 save percentage and 25th with a 3.34 goals-against average. That’s simply not going to cut it this season.
Toronto Sending Message ahead of Bigger Moves
The prevailing chatter is that Craig Berube’s job is safe for now. But the bigger question should be for how much longer.
If things don’t turn around in 2026, the “existential” questions will kick into high gear. The Maple Leafs are quickly running out of runway to make the playoffs. Realistically, it seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. The Leafs just don’t have it this year.
Nevertheless, the organization might make one last-ditch effort to save the season by making a bold move behind the bench. The Maple Leafs have four games left in 2025. Those games could be the final opportunity to salvage things before the higher-ups make some tough calls.
Nestor Quixtan Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan
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