Maple Leafs hire Craig Berube as head coach

[Smif]

Lol ok

Is next year your year?

Don't know. How many Leaf games have you been to? I've been to many and when you watch live and see the entire ice Marner is the most complete and often best player on the ice night in and night out. One more season JT is off the books and that is when we should reallocate dollars properly imo.

 

[Louie the Blue]

Yeah Berube is surprisingly cerebral behind the bench. Most think he’s just an old school ball-buster but he’s a good coach.

Yeah. I don’t think he’s a hard ass to be a hard ass like Torts. I think he chooses (at least from everything I’ve read) to be one when necessary.

He isn’t a tactician but he’s not just someone who relies on motivation.

 

[LaCarriere]

They can still deal a member of the core 4 you know

In fact, Chris Johnston went on overdrive just now to say that they will still look to move a core 4 piece and this changed nothing on that front

Don't all 4 have a NMC?

I don't think it's really up to the leafs, though manner may want to play somewhere like Utah at this point.

 

[BaconNater]

Wonder if Leafland will slowly go back into the idea that now they have their guy and can run it back. Like a different coach will actually help them play tougher haha

 

[STL fan in MN]

The Leafs have averaged like 105 points/season for the last 7 or 8 years. Him having a 100 point season isn't really a selling point.

I'm not really holding my breath that he's the guy to suddenly turn things around for the Leafs.

That’s fair. But no coach can fix that the main problem is a horribly imbalanced team. I just don’t see how in the Cap era a team can put together Cup caliber defense and goaltending with 4 forwards making $11-13 million each.

If the Leafs don’t work towards fixing that, it doesn’t matter who the coach is IMO.

 

[AvroArrow]

Don't know. How many Leaf games have you been to? I've been to many and when you watch live and see the entire ice Marner is the most complete and often best player on the ice night in and night out. One more season JT is off the books and that is when we should reallocate dollars properly imo.

Now how many playoff games have you seen ?

That is regular season Marner that you just described.

 

[MCR74]

I'm not arguing Boucher's results but the man will have you dump and chase with 1 player on 5 and half the time you don't even chase. Dude thinks he's a genius every time he clogs up center ice worse than a toilet on burrito night

That's quite the description.

 

[93gilmour93]

Over the next year the Leafs will be built around Austin and Willy with more players that suit Berube's style. If Marner or Tavares got moved this summer then it speeds up the process but if nobody waives, the Leafs will have your wait till summer 2025 to really make it Berbue's team.

This summer the Leafs need a goalie but I'm sure there's going to be a focus on giving Berube a few new D men that fit his style

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

As a Leafs hater, they should've went with the guy who made them go 1-21 on the powerplay during playoffs, you're right.

Whoever added Guy as a PP coach should be ashamed of themselves. Fitting a square peg into a round hole. You hire Guy Boucher as head coach to run a 1-3-1 system through the season, get you to the playoffs, and lockdown and scrape your way to a higher finish than you have any real business of achieving. And then the act gets old and he's out in year 2 or 3. (but he's only making ~$700k so who cares lol)

That's exactly what the Leafs need. A miracle run to the conference finals or even Stanley Cup Finals next year. "Possible" results in years 4,5,6 mean absolute bupkis right now. Success next year or heads really begin to roll.

Just IMO of course

 

[Smif]

Now how many playoff games have you seen ?

That is regular season Marner that you just described.

That's a good point, you got me there. None.

With that being said, I'd also like to know his extension demands because there's no way he can demand much, if anything more than he's already getting compensated based on his playoff performances. Although Matthews got a decent raise for also not contributing much in the playoffs.

 

[NyQuil]

He might be the right guy of the coaches available.

Certainly indicated that he wanted the challenge of coaching in Canada.

Not much of a surprise but maybe that’s a good thing.

The knock on the Leafs has been that their playoff team play looks like their regular season team play.

Maybe he can motivate them to elevate when it counts.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Maybe the best time will be after the 2024-2025 season, maybe never?

Confused, why is the best time to trade him after the 24/25 season? , after his contract expires?
I guess you could trade him at the draft, if no extension, not getting much.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Coaches don't do too much more than tell guys to chip er deep, be harder on pucks, get to the net and put pucks behind their goaler, so this seems like the right hire.

 

[leafsfan5]

Don't all 4 have a NMC?

I don't think it's really up to the leafs, though manner may want to play somewhere like Utah at this point.

They do, and I think the only one who will realistically move is Marner

Of course Mitch can invoke his NMC and stay, most of the insiders haven't been leaning one way or the other on whether he's willing to move at this point. With that being said, if the Leafs go to Mitch and ask him to waive and he says no, that can quickly become a toxic environment I'm not sure MM16 would want to be a part of. Especially if it ends up getting leaked and fans figure out he nixed a chance to move on

AM34/WN88 will not be moved, and I don't think Tavares will waive his NMC with his family being settled here

 

[Mobiandi]

Bad hire. I think they miss the playoffs next year

 

[Golden_Jet]

That's a good point, you got me there. None.

With that being said, I'd also like to know his extension demands because there's no way he can demand much, if anything more than he's already getting compensated based on his playoff performances. Although Matthews got a decent raise for also not contributing much in the playoffs.

There have been rumours on podcasts, his camp could be asking for 14.

 

[eojsmada]

Still doesn't fix the roster, but I guess it's a thing for Treliving/Shanahan to hang their hat on for the next little bit and provides them a bit of cover for a few weeks or so, before the Marner/Tavares situations are back on the front burner.

 

[Peasy]

There have been rumours on podcasts, his camp could be asking for 14.

What podcasts are these

 

[Smif]

Confused, why is the best time to trade him after the 24/25 season? , after his contract expires?
I guess you could trade him at the draft, if no extension, not getting much.

I'm assuming if we don't trade him this summer he'll be re-signed either July 1st or sometime during the season. Basically, just saying he could very well be re-signed and then go on to have his best season next year and be that much more attractive. I don't see Marner as an asset that is close to his downward swing at this point imo. I still think he has 120ish+ points in him.

 

[leafsfan5]

There have been rumours on podcasts, his camp could be asking for 14.

What podcasts? Friedman on Kyper and Bourne reported Marner will want 11.5-12 x 8 on his new contract

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

Boucher is as far from swing for the fences as it gets.

He tries to neutralize the skill on both sides as a head coach.

'Swing for the fence' more in that he's got a 1-2 year shelf-life of above average success before it goes flat.

His approach can be nauseating at times but it does get results in the short run. Frankly, it's mind-boggling that more 'on the cusp of success' teams haven't taken a 1 year flyer on the guy.

If/when Boston bottoms out tonight, he'd be the first guy I'm calling if I'm Sweeny.

 

[Smif]

There have been rumours on podcasts, his camp could be asking for 14.

Sure, you can say that big number but I don't know how you sell that or expect it, he's far from the best player in hockey. Imo, he should be happy with his current salary.

 

[Warden of the North]

Should have gone with Gallant or even Guy Boucher IMO. They need an immediate 180° in chemistry and execution for quick results in the next season or two more than they need a stable 'head coach' 5 years from now.

Babcock 2.0

Guy Boucher was in charge or our Powerplay, which was incredibly awful when it mattered.

 

[Peasy]

What podcasts? Friedman on Kyper and Bourne reported Marner will want 11.5-12 x 8 on his new contract

Probably a sens fans podcast to help cope.

Nobody in their right mind would give Mitch 14m. He'd be laughed at. Mans value is at his lowest.

 

[ZDH]

It ain't the coach Shanny.