Where The Pressure Lands
TORONTO — The Maple Leafs have fired head coach Craig Berube, the first major move by general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin since taking over the front office on May 3.
"We didn't make this decision in a vacuum," Chayka said Wednesday at the Ford Performance Centre. "This is a bigger-picture decision, and it's not just about a coach. Mats and I spent the last 10 days or so meeting with everyone from the chefs to talking to some of the players and everything in between."
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Chayka declined to specify what the organization could do better, saying the focus Wednesday was on the coaching change. He noted he has not yet met with everyone on the staff.
In Berube's first season behind the bench, the Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division for the first time, beat the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs and pushed the eventual champion Florida Panthers to seven games. It was the longest playoff run for the franchise in the Auston Matthews era.
The second season told a different story. The Leafs declined by 30 points in the standings — the largest year-to-year drop in franchise history — finishing fifth last in the league with a 5-15-5 record after the Olympic break.
Chayka and Sundin met with Berube in person on Saturday before making the decision on Tuesday.
"He's a great man, very good coach," Chayka said. "Did a lot of good things here. That's not lost on me."
The Detail That Tilts It
Berube was two years into a four-year contract. Decisions on the coaching staff including Derek Lalonde, Mike Van Ryn and Steve Sullivan will be made by the new head coach.
There is no timeline to hire a replacement. Chayka called it "the most critical decision" a general manager makes and said the search would be wide.
"Out of respect for the process and the candidates I don't want to get into that today," Chayka said when asked what he's looking for.
Regarding captain Auston Matthews, who has two years remaining on his contract and isn't certain about returning, Chayka said the decision to fire Berube had "zero" impact from the star's future.
"Auston's an accomplished player that is world class and I think he wants to align on the vision and the strategy ahead, as do we," Chayka said. "I don't think there's any type of competing interest."
A meeting between Chayka and Matthews is expected in the coming weeks.
Rookie winger Easton Cowan, who played 66 games with the Leafs this season before being assigned to the Toronto Marlies for the AHL playoffs, was asked about the change.
What The Result Leaves
"Unfortunately, that's part of the business," Cowan said. "Obviously we had a tough year."
Marlies coach John Gruden said the coaching change isn't a distraction.
"At the end of the day, [the playoff run is] a sanctuary for us," Gruden said. "We get to still go on the ice and do what we all love to do."
Cowan suggested the change could provide extra motivation.
"Someone new is coming in," Cowan noted. "They're probably watching, whoever it is."