Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
According to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, there could be a coaching change soon for the Toronto Maple Leafs and to him it’s not going to be much of a shock.
It’s dire times in Toronto right now, and it doesn’t seem like the team has a clear direction of where to go. The stars aren’t performing, Craig Berube is on the hot seat, and the overall atmosphere around the Maple Leafs is pretty grim to say the least.
And according to one insider, it’s pretty much going to be inevitable.
Christmas may come with a pink slip for Craig Berube
I would not be surprised if we see a coaching change this week.
That feels like the general sentiment around the team right now, and while there is certainly blame to be placed on Craig Berube, he isn’t the one who led the team down this path.
What can he do when his team has so willingly quit on him? William Nylander mentioned he’s in unknown territory; but it’s also a self-out. He hasn’t scored in 11 games and has looked absolutely lifeless; playing only when he feels it matters.
Would bringing in someone else even matter at this point?
A coaching change is going to absolutely bring a new voice that for sure the players will gravitate to, but how long until that honeymoon phase ends? Are the problems that currently plague their stars suddenly gone if they splurge on a new coach?
Auston Matthews has not looked good in two years. Their goaltending situation is a disaster, they have no assets to deal from, they are constantly hurt, they locked down some pretty mid players into unmovable deals — the list goes on.
The new ‘Core Four’ if you want to call it that (Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Knies) are a combined minus-30 with only 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) and to say they have been brutal is an understatement. Sure there are some empty-net goals skewing the numbers slightly but it’s overall a nightmare.
So while the Maple Leafs may make a coaching change this week, it’s going to be the fourth coach in the Auston Matthews era, and you start to wonder whether it’s the ones who lead behind the bench are the problem.
Maybe it’s the guy you trusted to lead your team on and off the ice that’s the issue.
Previously on Hockey Patrol