Anyone who listened to the comments Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube in the aftermath of their 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday has to come to the conclusion that the veteran bench boss is at his wits’ end and has run out of answers for the performance of his club.
“We had power play opportunities, our power play was not good, and to me (the Capitals) played with more passion than we did tonight. I mean, that’s what it boils down to. It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game (and) that’s the difference.” Berube said after the loss.
What spoke volumes was the head coach’s response to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox’s question for an explanation of why his club appears disengaged for long stretches.
“Ask those guys, not me.”
After barely showing a pulse for the first 50 minutes of the 3-2 victory over the short-handed Chicago Blackhawks at home on Tuesday, the Leafs decided to top that effort by putting in a full 60-minute coma. With the exception of goalie Dennis Hildeby and a few select skaters, Toronto did not show much urgency after giving up a pair of first-period goals to Aliaksei Protas and Jakob Chychrun.
Hildeby made 13 saves in the second period to keep the Leafs within range, but based on their effort level in the contest, it was over even before Chychrun’s second goal early in the third. After the game, the leadership group (a term that should be used loosely) offered the same empty boilerplate comments that we have heard after their playoff losses and throughout this season, but it is clear that Berube’s critique and attempts to hold their feet to the fire are falling on deaf ears.
In other words folks, the players are playing like they want to get their coach fired. This presents quite a dilemma for GM Brad Treliving, in year two after hiring the Stanley Cup winner to replace Sheldon Keefe, but clearly, there is a disconnect in the “direct” way Berube wants this team to play and the strengths of the current roster. The power play all season has bordered on incompetent, and only by the grace of god and the complete mediocrity of the Eastern Conference is Toronto still in the playoff race, but that will not be the case by early 2026, if they continue to play as they are for the rest of December.
It may be time for Treliving to make a bold move to change the formula with his club, before their 2025-26 season is completely lost.
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