The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially parted ways with head coach Craig Berube after a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw the team finish dead last in the Atlantic Division. The decision, announced Wednesday, brings Berube's two-year tenure in Toronto to an unexpected end.
Berube's first season with the Leafs was a resounding success, as he guided the team to a stellar 108-point campaign that had fans dreaming of a deep playoff run. But this season told a different story entirely. The Maple Leafs stumbled to a 32-36-14 record, managing just 78 points—a staggering 30-point drop from the previous year, the largest year-over-year decline in the league.
"Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person," said general manager John Chayka in a statement. "This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig."
Chayka, who was hired earlier this month after replacing Brad Treliving (fired in March), now faces the monumental task of reshaping a team that entered the season with Stanley Cup aspirations. The Leafs lost star winger Mitch Marner in the offseason but added forwards Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, and Nicolas Roy to fill the void. On paper, the roster still boasted elite talent in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but on the ice, things never clicked.
The power play, once a strength, became a glaring weakness. Defensive breakdowns were rampant, leading to the second-worst goals-against mark in the league. The Leafs were also outshot a league-worst 66 times over the course of the season, a stat that speaks to a team that often seemed out of sync from the opening puck drop.
"They played with more passion than we did," Berube told reporters after a humbling 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals in December. "That's what it boils down to. It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game."
Injuries and absences certainly played a role, but the team's inability to find consistency was its ultimate undoing. Berube finished his Leafs tenure with a 84-62-18 record, but the rapid decline this season made a change inevitable.
With the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft—secured after winning the lottery last week—Toronto has a golden opportunity to rebuild. The Leafs are expected to select either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg on June 26 in Buffalo. For a franchise desperate for a fresh start, that draft pick represents hope.
As the Leafs turn the page, fans will be watching closely to see who steps behind the bench next. One thing is clear: in a city where hockey is everything, patience is a luxury no coach can afford.