The Toronto Maple Leafs made a bench change Monday night — removing Marc Savard, who was in charge of the power play — and, according to multiple sources, the coaching/managerial changes stop there.
GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube are not on the firing line.
Columbus’s 3-1 win in Los Angeles on Monday night dropped Toronto to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, a jarring reality no one expected 35 games into the season. That’s a factor: the organization does not wish to make hasty decisions before being thoroughly prepared. And, those same sources indicate the immediate No. 1 concern is igniting Auston Matthews, finding ways to get his game going.
While removing Savard definitely won’t solve all of Toronto’s problems, Matthews’ struggles played a major role in that decision. He has just three power-play goals (tied for 63rd) and four power-play points (tied for 182nd) this season.
Savard and Berube are close, and the head coach fought in support of his assistant as the man-advantage struggles mounted. But that’s where the changes stop for now, with Treliving and Berube not in similar danger.