The Toronto Maple Leafs are staring down their first missed postseason in a decade, and it is becoming clear that life with Brad Treliving and Craig Berube has not worked. When Treliving was hired, the idea was that he would add the snot and grit this team lacked, and Berube was supposed to steer the ship with a hard-nosed style. Instead of a tougher team, we have watched a clunky roster fall completely out of the playoff race.
Now, with a retool looming, there are a few major questions that need answers. One of them is who is going to be brought in to right the ship. Because if one thing is clear, Treliving and Berube are not the answers.
Treliving Has Poorly Managed Assets & Roster
The biggest reason to question Treliving’s ability to handle a retool is how he has managed his assets. The Scott Laughton situation is a perfect example. A year ago, the Maple Leafs paid a massive price to get him, including a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. Fast forward to this season’s deadline, and Treliving traded Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional third-round pick. That is about as clear of a buy-high, sell-low situation as you will find.
To make matters worse, Grebenkin has become a steady bottom-six forward with the Philadelphia Flyers. Treliving essentially gutted part of the prospect pool. Including trading Fraser Minten for veteran players who didn’t move the needle. Because of these moves, the Maple Leafs now have an even thinner cupboard and fewer draft picks to work with this summer than they did when he arrived. Which makes it tough to retool a team when you have already moved out some of your best future pieces.
Berube’s Coaching Style Has Hurt the Team
While Treliving built the roster, Berube is the one who has struggled to make it work on the ice. He is trying to force a dump-and-chase style on a team that is built to carry the puck. It has felt off all season. Under the previous head coach Sheldon Keefe, the Maple Leafs were one of the better five-on-five teams in the league, but they have taken a major step back under Berube.
Related: Maple Leafs Reportedly Ready to Move Players Out This Summer
Even before Auston Matthews went down with his season-ending knee injury, he looked frustrated and less effective in this system. Berube has proven to be a winning coach. He won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues back in 2019. Unfortunately, his system doesn’t seem to fit with the Maple Leafs’ top stars. Which is what happened with Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas and the Blues before he was let go. It’s not that he isn’t a great coach, but he’s style of coaching and system isn’t the right one with the current roster construction. They need a coach who will push offensive skill over defensive, similar to Bruce Cassidy who was let go by the Vegas Golden Knights.
