Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube touched on pressure, the squad’s pending UFAs, what went wrong in Game 7 and more in his end-of-season press conference.

One burning question the entire season was what’s next for Mitch Marner and John Tavares, who become UFAs on July 1. After losing 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 Sunday night, speculation has increased about Marner leaving the team.

Berube said he hasn’t talked to Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving about Marner and Tavares’ futures yet and it was hard to comment on that. However, he was asked if he’d like to see the team re-sign them, and he said “100 percent.”

Berube also had nothing but praise for Marner. 

“I love the guy,” Berube told reporters. “Love coaching him, love his energy, personality. He's a hell of a player.

“He does a lot for this team, night in, night out, in a lot of different areas of the game. So, I got nothing but good things to say about him."

Marner also spoke to reporters Tuesday, saying he’s always loved his time in Toronto but must talk with his wife about their future in the city.

The Leafs’ bench boss also discussed the pressure that comes with playing in Toronto. This comes after Panthers left winger Brad Marchand said Leafs fans beat the pressure into the players and after the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk said the Leafs would be a better team if it wasn’t in Toronto dealing with the “crazy circus stuff.”

“There’s pressure everywhere – I don’t care where you’re playing,” Berube said. “Pressure comes from inside the locker room. That’s it.”

Later, Berube said the mindset and structure were factors in Sunday’s Game 7 loss.

Immediately after the game, Berube told reporters that “it’s all between the ears” and a mindset in winning do-or-die games. That was a reference point again on Tuesday, but he also expanded on the structure.

He said that even on days where a team doesn’t quite “have it,” a solid team structure can still get the team through those bad games, such as Games 5 and 7, when the Panthers outscored the Leafs 12-2 combined.

"We lost our structure for a bit. Cost us three goals," Berube said. 

That’s where he believes it went wrong. However, he made it clear that he doesn’t want his team to forget what happened in Game 7.

“We have to learn from this Game 7 here going forward, and we will learn," he said.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup Window Has Slammed Shut Any hope the Toronto Maple Leafs had of winning a Stanley Cup when Auston Matthews was drafted nine years ago went up in a cloud of apathy-filled smoke when the Maple Leafs lost Game 7 of their second-round series against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-play-excellent-game-7-in-toronto-advance-to-conference-final">Florida Panthers</a> Sunday night.

Nonetheless, Berube was proud of what his team accomplished in his first season with the club. They won the Atlantic Division with 108 points and took the defending Stanley Cup champions to a Game 7.

“We did a lot of good things this year that I’m proud of,” he said.

He believes the Maple Leafs are taking positive strides forward and that the team is capable of winning. Berube praised his players and how they bought into the new identity that he brought to the team.

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