The Toronto Maple Leafs face heavy scrutiny after a disastrous 2025-26 NHL season, and analyst Bryan Hayes believes head coach Craig Berube must take responsibility for the collapse.

The Leafs’ season has resulted in failure, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The organization already dismissed general manager Brad Treliving, but debate continues about where the real accountability lies.

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Speaking on TSN OverDrive, Hayes pointed to alarming defensive numbers that placed Toronto near the bottom of the league. Hayes argued a coach cannot look at those numbers and claim progress, calling the situation a complete breakdown.

MORE: Craig Berube gets honest about his future after Maple Leafs fire GM

“I’m just saying these stats, they’re dead last in everything,” Hayes said. “Like, the coach has got to, I am sorry, he has got to own that. I know maybe we don’t see eye to eye on that, the three of us. You two [former NHL players Jamie McLennan and Jeff O’Neill] have kind of been in the path of it’s all players all the time, and it is, players are an issue.

“You cannot be a coach in the league and look at that board and say I’m doing a great job here. This is a disaster.”

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Hayes insisted that while roster construction matters in the long term, coaching impact is immediate and visible on the ice.

“It’s for five or ten years down the road,” Hayes said. “Who’s the manager going to be? That’s what’s going to matter in terms of projecting where I think this team’s going. If we’re looking at next year, how much better can they really get? The coach is going to have a way bigger impact than whoever the GM is.”

McLennan and O’Neill offered a more cautious view. McLennan said the Leafs may suffer from too many voices in decision-making, unlike more structured teams with clear leadership.

“The one thing that I get with the Toronto Maple Leafs is overkill there,” McLennan said. “They’ve got too many people, and they’ve got too many cooks in the kitchen. And you talked about Carolina. That’s a lean machine.”

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Still, Hayes pushed back, saying the coach shapes identity.

Hayes suggests a coaching change by the Maple Leafs

Berube was hired in 2024 to bring a tougher style, and it seemed to work as he led Toronto to early success in the 2024-25 regular season before a sharp decline. Critics now question whether his system fits the current roster.

Defensive struggles, poor goaltending, and injuries, including one to captain Auston Matthews, all played roles in how the team has performed this season. According to Hayes, a system change and a new voice behind the bench could deliver fast improvement next season.

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“That’s all I’m saying for next year, is a coach bump, a coaching change, and a different system and style and voice has the best chance of tangible points differences next year,” Hayes said.

MORE: Toronto Maple Leafs’ future hinges on ‘quiet guy’ Auston Matthews

With management changes underway, the Leafs enter a critical offseason. And if we delve into Hayes’ perspective, indeed, the coach must answer for what went wrong.