The Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Craig Berube, the Most High-Profile Coach Available…

The Leafs’ talented core will soon be playing under their third head coach. If Berube doesn’t achieve greater success than his predecessors, it will become clear that the problem isn’t the coaching.

On Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced Craig Berube as their new head coach, following the firing of Sheldon Keefe on May 9th.

With Rod Brind’Amour staying with the Carolina Hurricanes, and Mike Sullivan and Jon Cooper remaining with their respective teams, Berube was the most high-profile coach on the market.

Shortly after Keefe’s dismissal, Berube emerged as the primary candidate in the Leafs’ search for a new coach.

Berube, a former NHL player and respected coach who led the St. Louis Blues to their first Stanley Cup title, is believed to have signed a four-year contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Craig Berube, the Most High-Profile Coach Available
The Leafs’ core players—Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly—will start the next season under their third head coach.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan first hired the experienced, Cup-winning Mike Babcock, but his tenure ended early due to a toxic atmosphere. He was fired a couple of seasons into an eight-year deal.

Next, Sheldon Keefe was promoted from the Toronto Marlies, bringing a more player-friendly approach. Although he became the most successful regular-season coach in Leafs history, his playoff performance didn’t match up.

The Leafs’ recent first-round playoff exit made change inevitable. With players locked into no-movement deals and management avoiding blame, Keefe was held responsible.

In hiring Berube, the Leafs may have found a balance between Keefe and Babcock. Berube doesn’t have Babcock’s pedigree but has demonstrated the ability to win when it counts. He combines Keefe’s communication skills with greater authority.

With a third coach now in place, the focus shifts to the Leafs’ core. No more excuses remain. Each coach has brought something different.

If this roster can’t succeed under Berube, it raises the question, “What coach can get results with this group?”

As Yogi Berra once said, “It gets late early out there.” Matthews, Marner, and Nylander are in their prime years, while Tavares and Rielly are over 30.

It’s high time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to achieve postseason success. A new coach offers a fresh start and a new opportunity for everyone on the team.