Craig Berube was named the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. He takes over for Sheldon Keefe, who was let go on May 9.
Berube was the most well-known coach available because Mike Sullivan and Jon Cooper were expected to stay with their respective teams, and Rod Brind’Amour was anticipated to return to the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was clear shortly after Keefe was fired that Berube was the front-runner in the Leafs’ quest for a new bench boss.
The seasoned coach and longtime NHL player, who assisted the St. Louis Blues in winning their first Stanley Cup, is said to have inked a four-year contract.
Craig Berube, the highest-profile coach available, is hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Come September, the Leafs’ core—Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly—will play for their third different head coach. Or, if that survives after the upcoming offseason.
First tried by Leafs president Brendan Shanahan was the seasoned, dominant, Cup-winning Mike Babcock, but he was too toxic and lost the room. After just a few seasons of an eight-year contract, he was sacked.
Sheldon Keefe, who was promoted from the Toronto Marlies, arrived next and is credited with providing a more player-friendly environment. He became the most successful Leafs regular-season coach in history, but he was unable to duplicate that success in the postseason.
Something had to happen after the Leafs’ most recent first-round playoff elimination; NHL teams appear to need a new manager every few years, and since Keefe was blamed and the players were bound by no-movement contracts, the management refused to take accountability.
The Leafs may have struck a compromise between Keefe and Babcock by signing Berube. Despite lacking Babcock’s lineage, he has demonstrated his ability to prevail in crucial situations. Berube is a more persuasive communicator than Babcock, akin to Keefe when necessary.
The responsibility now rests with the Leafs’ core as they enter their third coach. There are no more justifications available. Every coach mentioned above offers a somewhat different perspective on the position.
If Berube is unable to bring any success to this group of players, it raises the question, “What coach can get results with this group?”
It gets late early out there, as the great Yogi Berra once said. The top Leafs players are now adults. Nylander, Marner, and Matthews are all well established in their prime. Rielly and Tavares are beyond the age of thirty.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have long overdue postseason success. Everyone on the roster will have new opportunities and a fresh start under the new coach.