According to Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show this morning, Craig Berube is his pick for the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Until I’m proven wrong, he’s my guy for Toronto. It’s just when are they going to do this,” he said.
After Sheldon Keefe was fired last week, Berube instantly became the favourite to replace him. Rumours of him being the next bench boss started during the season, before Keefe was even relieved of his duties.
Berube most recently coached for the St. Louis Blues, leading them to a Stanley Cup in the 2018–19 season before St. Louis let him go in December of last year after the team started 13–14–1.
In an offseason where multiple teams looking to compete for a Stanley Cup are trying to hire a new head coach, Berube is the big fish. If the Leafs do in fact land him, it’ll be a great get by GM Brad Treliving.
What he could bring
During his time as head coach of the Leafs, Sheldon Keefe walked back comments criticizing his star players multiple times. Seen as a bit soft, Keefe’s reputation was part of the reason he was let go.
This kind of thing won’t happen under Berube. An old-school, hard-nosed guy, Berube won’t baby the core four or guarantee anyone anything.
He fits the mould of Treliving’s vision for the team, bringing more grit from behind the bench to try and motivate the big guys. Comfort has been a big subject of discussion for the Leafs recently. The core four all make a ton of money and feel comfortable. They’ve never been at risk of being moved, criticized, or benched.
Treliving wants to change that, and Berube is the guy for the job. Whoever ends up back with the team next year will have to compete for their opportunities, not be handed them.
What’s the hold-up?
According to Friedman, the Leafs are still doing their due diligence with Todd McLellan, so nothing is final. But if Berube is the guy, there are still details to be ironed out.
He’ll want his own assistants, and with the season ending as it did for the Leafs, it’ll be a tough pill to swallow if Guy Boucher, who ran the power play, is back.
And as the most in-demand head coach available, Berube will become one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. Toronto has the cash to spend, but MLSE has been hesitant with their spending since they gave Mike Babcock a boatload of money that they still had to pay him after he was fired.
A change in culture
With his signings last offseason, and now (probably) hiring Berube, it’s clear Treliving has a vision for a new culture in Toronto. The old culture wasn’t working, and whether these changes work or not, Treliving is right about needing a new identity.
Berube will be very demanding of the stars, and it’s up to them to respond well. We’ll see how it goes.
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