Why Leafs fans are frustrated with Craig Berube
There’s never a dull moment in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs have struggled in recent weeks, leading many to show concern for the group heading into the late-season push.
They’re 5-4-1 over the past 10 games, and now sit third in the Atlantic. Just last week, they had a real chance of taking the top spot away from the Florida Panthers. That has led many to question Craig Berube as Toronto’s coach – so Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Colby Cohen on Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff Live to discuss what’s going on:
Tyler Yaremchuk: “I’m not following the team on a daily basis. I want to know why the fans are frustrated with Craig Berube… It’s not that much different (of a conversation) than one I was having in Edmonton 10 days ago, where I was telling people like, ‘hey, if you were calling for another coach to be fired, it is no longer time to look at the coach. It’s time to look at the core group of guys and wonder how come Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, and others can win all those cups with their star players with the same coach, but you need a fourth or fifth coach?’ Walk me through what the frustrations are with Berube, and are they they fair? Do you think he can do things differently to improve this team?”
Matt Larkin: “It depends on who you’re talking to in terms of the culture of frustration with Berube. The Venn diagram of people that were really in the Kyle Dubas camp I think would overlap there, right? Craig Berube is more of a throwback coach, and he preaches a north-south style, and it’s all about simplifying the Leafs’ game, making fewer mistakes. This is a team that thrives on east-west hockey because they have so much skill.
“The problem is, if you’re making this shift to this new mentality, well, why are you not backing it up with your statistics? They are not good defensively. So if you’ve changed your style, you’ve made your team more conservative offensively, but you’re not actually doing a better job defending, then what’s the point? I think that’s why people are starting to ask the question. Do we need to get back to fire wagon hockey.
“I always joke that the Leafs, when they’re down 3-0 in a game they’re 1977 Montreal Canadiens. When they play just kind of wild and free, that’s when they’re at their best. They’ve been much more tight in their play this year.
“The big question for me is, though, why do we have to have this discussion about Berube right now? What’s going to matter is if they’re better in the playoffs. That’s the big question about the entire season for the Leafs. They don’t look great right now, but they are the biggest team in the NHL. They’re the biggest team in the league in seven years, and they have a Stanley Cup-winning coach who preaches a simpler game.
“So, will their game, once we get to April, actually translate to better playoff success?”