The Maple Leafs’ general manager, Brad Treliving, reaffirmed his full support for coach Craig Berube, as the Toronto team faces a disappointing start to the NHL season. During his usual quarterly meeting with the media on Tuesday, Treliving was frank about the underperforming expectations of the Leafs, who have a record of 8-9-2. Despite this, Treliving maintains his confidence in Berube to guide a Toronto team that he considers “disconnected”.
Berube was Treliving’s first coaching hire as general manager of the Leafs, after firing Sheldon Keefe in May 2024. At the time, Treliving felt Toronto needed a new voice, and the Leafs responded positively to Berube last season, finishing at the top of the Atlantic Division with 108 points. However, this year, Toronto is projected to get only 78 points, and Treliving is still trying to understand the reasons behind the team’s decline in Berube’s second season. Except for the loss of first-line winger Mitch Marner in free agency last summer, the group is essentially the same as the one Berube worked with in the 2024-25 season. The results, however, have not met Treliving’s standards, especially on the defensive side. The Leafs are conceding the second-most goals in the league (3.79 per game) and the fifth-most shots against (31.2). Their goalies have had an average performance, with Anthony Stolarz recording a 6-5-1 record with a save percentage of .884, far from last season’s outstanding performance. Treliving also observes a general lack of “enthusiasm” in the team, suggesting that something must change for Toronto to recover and aim for the playoffs. They are currently four points away from a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, prior to Tuesday’s game against St. Louis, Berube’s former team. Treliving emphasized that it’s the responsibility of the Leafs players to solve their problems, rather than management seeking new additions or changes in personnel.I have full faith in our coach right now, so I don’t see that as the problem. I believe in Craig and his message. Craig didn’t become a bad coach overnight.
Brad Treliving
Treliving also declined to blame the Leafs’ injuries for their difficulties. Toronto is dealing with the absence of several key players, including Auston Matthews (lower body), Stolarz (upper body), Nic Roy (upper body), Chris Tanev (upper body), Scott Laughton (upper body), and Brandon Carlo (lower body), all out of play. This has significantly impacted the team’s depth at center and defense, a challenge they will need to overcome in the short term. Toronto claimed defenseman Troy Stetcher off waivers from Edmonton this week as a temporary measure, and goaltender Joseph Woll, who played his first game of the season on Saturday after a month-long absence for personal reasons, should be in full form soon. Matthews, for his part, resumed skating on Tuesday and will miss his second consecutive game, while Laughton could return on Thursday against Columbus. Treliving insists that, unless Toronto plays better collectively, it won’t matter who is in the lineup.The reality of the business is that problems are not solved through trades. We are not going to panic and start getting rid of things just to do something. My job right now is to support our coach, support his message and support our group, and push the group.
Brad Treliving
I think there’s been too much “vanilla” with our team. I think you can count on one hand how many complete and full games we’ve had. Put anyone in the uniform. If we play like we’re playing, we’ll probably have the same result.
Brad Treliving
