John Chayka is already cleaning up Brad Treliving's mess

"Chayka came into the Maple Leafs front office like one of those relief pitchers who inherits the bases loaded and one out. Since an inning-ending double play wasn't exactly an option, the only thing that Chayka could do was get one out at a time. That's what he did with firing Craig Berube. Berube's dismissal is not really an indictment of Berube as a coach. It's more of erasing another major mistake by former GM Brad Treliving."

"When Treliving relieved Sheldon Keefe of his duties, the dismissal wasn't overly surprising. But it was a mistake. It wasn't a mistake necessarily because Keefe was riding high and getting results, but because he was the right type of coach to get the most out of the Maple Leafs' lineup, such as it was. With Berube, a 180-degree turn ensued. It was the type of drastic turnaround that didn't promise to end well. And it didn't."

"Under Berube, Auston Matthews became a shell of his former self. While he's arguably a better all-around player, he isn't scoring. And that's why Matthews is most important. Also, offense-first players like William Nylander have suffered. Well, the entire offense has suffered significantly."

"Be that as it may, Chayka now has to figure out who the Leafs' next head coach will be. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Chayka channel his inner Kyle Dubas and look to bring in a younger coach who could get the most out of Matthews and Nylander, while they're still on the team."

John Chayka begins his Maple Leafs tenure inheriting a difficult situation rather than a clean slate. He is described as having limited options, leading to the firing of Craig Berube. The dismissal is presented as less about Berube’s coaching quality and more about removing another major error attributed to former GM Brad Treliving. Treliving’s earlier decision to replace Sheldon Keefe is characterized as a mistake because Keefe was viewed as the right fit for the Maple Leafs’ roster. Berube’s arrival is portrayed as causing a drastic style shift that quickly failed. Auston Matthews and the offense, including William Nylander, are described as underperforming, making the next head coach’s task to restore scoring and maximize key players while they remain with the team.

Read at Editor In Leaf