Treliving Supports Berube Despite the Maple Leafs’ Difficult Start
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has expressed his full support for coach Craig Berube, despite the team’s disappointing start to the season in the NHL. In his usual mid-season meeting with the media on Tuesday, Treliving was candid about the underperforming Leafs, with a record of 8-9-2. Despite this, Treliving is confident that Berube is the right person to steer a Toronto team he considers “disconnected”.Berube was Treliving’s first coaching hire as general manager of the Leafs, after firing the previous head coach, Sheldon Keefe, in May 2024. At the time, Treliving felt that Toronto needed a new voice, and the Leafs responded well to Berube last season, finishing at the top of the Atlantic Division with 108 points. This year, Toronto is on pace to reach only 78 points, and Treliving is still trying to understand why the Leafs have had a decline in Berube’s second season. Aside from the loss of first-line winger, Mitch Marner, in free agency last summer, this is essentially the same group that Berube worked with in 2024-25. However, the results have not met Treliving’s expectations, 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 performed averagely, and starter Anthony Stolarz has a 6-5-1 record with a .884 save percentage, 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 get back into the playoff race. They are currently four points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot, ahead of Tuesday’s game against St. Louis, Berube’s former team. Treliving emphasized that it’s up to the Leafs players to solve their problems, rather than management seeking new additions or renewing staff.“I have all the faith in our coach right now, so I don’t see that as the problem,” Treliving stated. “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 without 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 unavailable. This has significantly impacted the Leafs’ center depth and defense, and that is a challenge they will have 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 back in full form soon. Matthews, however, only resumed skating on Tuesday and will miss his second consecutive game, while Laughton could return on Thursday against Columbus. Treliving insists that, unless Toronto can play better collectively, it won’t matter who is in the lineup.“The reality of the business is that you’re not going to solve problems with trades,” Treliving said. “We’re not going to panic and start throwing things overboard 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 simplicity on our team,” Treliving said. “I think you can count on one hand how many complete, full games we’ve had. Put anyone in the uniform. If we play the way we’re playing, we’ll probably have the same result.”
Brad Treliving
