The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Craig Berube after two seasons in Toronto the club announced on Wednesday.
Originally hired by now departed GM Brad Treliving in May of 2024, Berube helped guide the Maple Leafs to the playoffs in his first season with the team, but struggled to find similar success this past year. The team posted a 32-36-14 record as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” said GM John Chayka. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
New front office executives Chayka and Mats Sundin will oversee an extensive search for a new head coach. The fates of current assistants Derek Lalonde, Mike van Ryan and Steve Sullivan will be decided by the new hire, though it’s unlikely that all will remain on board for next season.
The veteran bench boss was owed $4.5M per season over the next two years, meaning that Toronto will still be on the hook for that amount barring another team hiring Berube.
Across two seasons with the Leafs, Berube posted an 84-62-18 record. According to reports, the 60 year old spent several hours discussing the direction of the team, and roster make up with Chayka and Sundin before the executives decided it was best to have a fresh start for 2026-27.
Toronto will have a decidedly different look heading into the fall later this year. Not only will they have a new executive group, and coaching staff, but they’ll also be selecting 1st overall in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
That selection will net them one of the top prospects available, including the right to choose amongst Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, or Ivar Stenberg.
Photo: Horge. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.