Why coaching the Maple Leafs keeps going wrong

Craig Berube was hired to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs after winning the 2019 Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues. His first season in Toronto produced strong regular-season results, including an Atlantic Division title with 52 wins and 108 points. The postseason outcome quickly undermined that momentum, with a second-round loss to the Florida Panthers in seven games. The following season started competitively, but performance deteriorated after November, with the team sliding to the bottom of the Atlantic. Losses increased, scoring declined, and Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. The season ended with the organization holding the first overall pick, marking the Berube era as unsuccessful.

"The Leafs brought in the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach with the St. Louis Blues to take charge before the 2024-25 season. His first year behind the bench in Toronto helped them win the Atlantic Division with a 52-win, 108-point season. While everything looked to be all better with a promising future, their playoff demons quickly caught up to them in round two against the Florida Panthers, losing that series in seven games."

"The Leafs started this year decently, staying within the top five in the Atlantic for the first month of the season. However, once November hit, they found themselves as basically bottom feeders in the division. The losses kept piling up, the scoring was basically gone out the window, and they eventually found themselves out of the playoffs for the first time in a decade."

"What was once some new hope for the future resulted in a place the organization hasn't seen in a while -- the first overall pick. Although they can now get a top prospect, the era of Berube was a miss."

Read at Editor In Leaf