The Pressure Mounts: An animated Craig Berube yells instructions from behind the Toronto Maple Leafs bench. The growing frustration of the fanbase is tangible, as a spectator directly behind the coach holds a sign calling for his firing.
The clock is ticking louder than ever in Toronto. Following a disastrous 4-0 shutout loss to Washington and 5-3 loss to Nashville, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube dropped a quote that usually signals the beginning of the end: “Ask those guys, not me.”
When a coach openly admits he can’t explain his team’s lack of passion, he hasn’t just lost the game—he’s lost the room. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun suggests that unless the Leafs pull off a miracle upset against the Dallas Stars tonight, the speculation over Berube’s future will reach a fever pitch. We are looking at a scenario where Berube could be fired before the calendar even flips to 2026. If Treliving makes the move, Berube becomes the fourth head coach casualty of the “Core Four” era. But who steps in to fix this mess? The rumors are already flying.
As someone who has covered the NHL for years, I can tell you that the atmosphere in Toronto feels undeniably toxic right now. This isn’t just a slump; it’s a systemic rejection of the hard-nosed, accountability-first culture Berube was brought in to install. The irony, of course, is that the blame truly lies with the front office. They constructed a roster that has repeatedly shown they tune out coaches when the going gets tough. But in the NHL, you can’t fire 23 players. Brad Treliving isn’t going to fire himself. That leaves Berube as the inevitable sacrifice.
If the axe falls, Treliving needs to decide immediately: Do you want structure, or do you want a vibes-based reset?
Top 3 Candidates to Replace Craig Berube
If the Leafs make the call, insider chatter points to three distinct paths.
1. The Structural Fix: Peter DeBoer
DeBoer is currently the heavy favorite in the rumor mill. Sources suggest the Leafs may have already “checked in” on his status. DeBoer is the safe, veteran play. He has taken New Jersey and San Jose to the Stanley Cup Final and is known for rigorous defensive structure.
My Take: DeBoer stabilizes ships. If the Leafs feel the team is too loose defensively, DeBoer locks it down. It’s not a sexy hire, but it’s a professional one.
2. The Emotional Spark: Bruce Boudreau
“Gabby” is the name Leafs fans always whisper. With Berube citing a lack of “passion,” Boudreau is the direct antidote. He is the master of the “Boudreau Bump”—turning struggling teams into regular-season juggernauts simply by letting them play loose and fast.
My Take: Boudreau, a lifelong Leafs fan, would walk through fire for this job. He would instantly win over the media and the locker room, but questions remain about his playoff success.
3. The Internal Bridge: Marc Savard
If Treliving isn’t ready to pay a massive salary to a new external coach mid-season, promoting assistant coach Marc Savard is the logical step. He knows the systems and the players.
My Take: Savard feels like the “interim” tag waiting to happen. It buys management time to hunt for a big fish in the summer while seeing if a “player’s coach” voice works better than Berube’s grit.
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