Will a change of coach deliver a change in fortunes for the Maple Leafs? David Alter answers that very question for Bodog Sportsbook.
As the Stanley Cup Conference Finals move along, Toronto Maple Leafs fans are left wondering what to make of the season that just finished.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Bruins in seven games, the Maple Leafs fired Sheldon Keefe and hired Craig Berube. Keefe landed on his feet by becoming the new head coach of a New Jersey Devils team loaded with talent and primed to bounce back after missing the playoffs. But in Toronto’s case there are way more questions than answers.
Is changing the coach enough to yield results? In Berube’s case it has worked before. Taking over a struggling St. Louis Blues team in the midst of the 2018-19 season, Berube was installed on an interim basis and led the franchise to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Maybe a new voice is needed.
But let’s take a look at the voice at the top, Brendan Shanahan.
The Toronto Maple Leafs president was hired in April of 2014. In the 10 years he has been in charge, he’s now on his fourth head coach (five if you want to include interim head coach Peter Horachek). He’s had four GMs, most recently hiring Brad Treliving to replace Kyle Dubas following the club’s second-round exit.
Outside of some big wins early on (persuading Mike Babcock to leave Detroit in 2015) and some drafting and tanking that saw the Leafs get players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, there hasn’t been any real team success. Toronto has won one playoff round during Shanahan’s tenure.
That’s probably the change that could come next after this season. But, if Shanahan isn’t charge, who would be? The Leafs parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, has a new sport and media-minded CEO in Keith Pelley. Does there even need to be a team president at that point? There never used to be someone in before Brian Burke came to Toronto in the fall of 2008.
Any success for the Maple Leafs next season is always going to come down to the players. There’s no question about the team’s ability to put up points and get results in the regular season.
Toronto’s core players combined for just six goals in the first-round series loss to Boston. Mitch Marner, who played in all seven games, scored just one goal and two assists.
Can Marner be coached into a playing a “north” style of hockey that Berube preached in his introductory news conference or is it inevitable that they trade the player. Marner has a full no-move clause and can essentially dictate if he wants to remain a Leaf this season or wants to go elsewhere. Whether the Leafs are with or without Marner, regular-season success is not going to matter for the upcoming season, outside of finishing out of the playoffs. Berube will attempt to build out a team that is built for the playoffs with accountability being a focus.
Outside of winning a round, there has to be a sense that the Leafs are on the right path. That they look like a heavier and more skilled team. Outside of judging Berube, this offseason will be more about judging how Brad Treliving shapes the Leafs with additions in the offseason. The goaltending needs a massive improvement beyond Ilya Samsonov, and an injury-plagued Joseph Woll. They need higher-end defensemen with size and those are often difficult to acquire without a massive overpayment. The roster building will be huge and any futures bet will weigh heavy on the personnel looks come July 1. One thing is certain. It promises to be a newsy offseason in Toronto.
Where do you think the Maple Leafs need to strengthen? Do you seem the competing in the playoffs next season? Let us know your hopes and expectations over on X.