Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs are not expected to move on from head head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving, but what happens in the last games of this season could change that.
According to a report from insider Chris Johnston, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not expected to part with neither of Berube or Treliving between now and the end of the season, but there is a catch.
Chris Johnston reported on ‘the Chris Johnston Show’ that the Leafs ownership don’t plan to get rid of Berube and Treliving, but one key factor could change things for them, the fans.
As losing continues for Toronto, the Leafs after eight losses in a row can miss the playoffs, but things need to turn around now.
Johnston reports no changes are coming before the season ends
Johnston says that the reception is to their final home stretch a potential indictment on Berube and Treliving that the Leafs parent company, MLSE, is watching how fans respond.
Two things may dictate the future of Berube and Treliving the summer. One being their performance at home in the final few games, and how the fans react to the product on the ice.
Toronto, having lost eight straight games, has already put Berube on the hot seat at the end of this season, and it was Treliving’s planned roster reconstruction that has proven unsuccessful.
The final seven home games are MLSE’s test for what happens next
Toronto has seven games remaining at home, including tonight versus Anaheim. Four of those games are against current playoffs teams; the Ducks, Islanders, Hurricanes, & Stars.
The other three games, against the Capitals, Rangers, & Panthers, will be three must-win games for Toronto, with hope they can still at least a game from one of the playoff contenders.
If the Leafs can’t prove themselves to compete late in the season, it could spell the end of one, or both of Berube and Treliving.
The players Treliving brought in also have more to prove. Asa pending free agent, a big late stretch could give Matias Maccelli a boostful extension, or could see Toronto cut ties.
The Leafs stars such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander may want to show their best late, while players who have shown signs of fatigue such as Morgan Rielly and Anthony Stolarz could enter the trade market if they can’t turn their games around, having to find a new number one defenseman and goaltender.
It may be Berube having the most to prove in these last few games. Treliving set the team, now Berube has to put them into action. If they don’t succeed, it could be both of them gone.
Toronto going on a late run to close out the season could save both their jobs, or save Berube and make Treliving the sacrificial lamb. Either way, these last games still have consequences beyond the final standings.
Toronto fans forced a coaching change once before and MLSE knows it
If the Toronto Maple Leafs lose the fanbase any further, it wouldn’t have been the first time it led to a coaching change with the team.
Former head coach Ron Wilson was let go in 2012 not just for middling results but having lost the support of the Leafs fandom who turned on him publicly. MLSE saw the reaction, and they acted.
Chanting “Fire Ron Wilson” and jerseys thrown on the ice, it was clear from fans that Wilson could no longer continue as coach, and MLSE did so before it impacted ticket sales, and their brand.
Attendance is the most powerful tool that Leafs fans have. A boycott make be too late in the season, but another year of decline would worry MLSE’s about the financial costs on staying pat.
The final stretch has become more than just wins and losses, it’s one last audition for Berube and Treliving to get things right, and fans are key in grading their performance.
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The Maple Leafs are letting fans decide the fate of Berube and Treliving
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