The Toronto Maple Leafs' struggling power play cost assistant coach Marc Savard his job. Will this move spark a turnaround and save the job of Buds coach Craig Berube?
The Toronto Maple Leafs are careening toward the NHL's holiday break, losing three straight and five of their past six.
The first of what could be many Leafs moves came Monday afternoon with the firing of assistant coach Marc Savard.
Although coach Craig Berube had already started to be on the hot seat, dismissing Savard can be justified based on what he's been in charge of: the Leafs' abysmal power play.
The Maple Leafs rank last in power-play success, capitalizing on just 13.3 percent of their opportunities. Savard has had no solutions on how to unlock Toronto's skilled forwards into becoming a force that could deliver offense far more regularly than what we've seen this season.
The frustration has been palpable. And if Berube isn't going to be fired anytime soon, having a different voice on offense might allow the Buds to put a stretch of wins together.
That said, while firing Savard might take some heat off of Berube in the moment, don't fool yourself into thinking Leafs fans won't be just as hostile if Toronto continues hovering near the bottom of the league the rest of the way.
This was a team that, on paper, should've had enough to be a competitive playoff team. But after numerous effort-challenged games, the Maple Leafs deserve to be last in the Atlantic Division and second-last in the Eastern Conference.
In Savard's defense, his first year running the Leafs' power play was pretty solid. At 24.8 percent, Toronto's man advantage was tied for the eighth-best in the league.
But something needed to change as the Maple Leafs' power play sputtered and smoked like a jalopy on the side of the road. And Savard's previous connection with Berube in 2019-20 – when Berube was coaching the St. Louis Blues, and Savard was an assistant – was not enough to save his job this time around.
Everyone Is To Share The Blame For The Maple Leafs' Struggles
The Toronto Maple Leafs have sunk near the bottom of the standings. And Leafs players, coaches and management all share the blame for this Blue & White disaster of a season.
Don't take Savard's firing as a guarantee Berube won't be fired should the losing continue to snowball. You can see why Treliving and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley would want to stick by Berube in the heat of this moment. The business asks for loyalty, and right now, loyalty in Leafs Land means sticking by Berube. But an assistant coach is far easier to part ways with.
Savard will eventually land another job. But it was a combination of poor luck and poor performance that made him vulnerable to being fired. And on Monday, one game before Toronto's last pre-break game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday, his number was up.
There was no early word on who will be replacing Savard, but after 35 mostly disappointing games this year, things had to change one way or another. Salvaging the Leafs' power play under Savard's replacement could be what salvages Toronto's season.
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