Why Maple Leafs are parting ways with Craig Berube as head coach originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It took a little while, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially made the decision.
Craig Berube is out as head coach.
They used the term that they've "relieved Berube of head coach duties."
Berube ended up being the Maple Leafs' head coach for two seasons, one much more successful than the other.
He's coached in the NHL for 10 years now, including two with the Philadelphia Flyers and six with the St. Louis Blues.
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Why did the Maple Leafs get rid of Craig Berube?
The reality is that the Leafs were simply too bad this year to keep Berube around under a new front office.
They went 32-36-14 and finished the regular season with 30 fewer points than the 2024-25 campaign.
The Maple Leafs had a nine-year playoff streak end, and the vibes simply were not good at all.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” new GM John Chayka said in a press release. “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.”
There are already plenty of big storylines surrounding the Maple Leafs this offseason, but you can add head coach to the list.
Craig Berube contract
According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Berube still had two years and $4.5 million left on his contract.
The Maple Leafs will owe him that unless Berube is hired elsewhere.
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