Former NHL Head Coach Bruce Boudreau Believes Maple Leafs Had Most Impressive Offseason Among Atlantic Division Teams
Boudreau added that the addition of Craig Berube will help make the Maple Leafs a tougher team to play against.
The Maple Leafs had a busy NHL free agency, signing defensemen Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and reportedly, Jani Hakanpaa, but are they a better group than last year?
Toronto is entering a season where the Florida Panthers just won the Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning did some roster tinkering, and the Boston Bruins signed some big players in Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm.
With all of that, the NHL's Atlantic Division remains at a standstill as the toughest division in the league. However, former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau — who appeared on NHL Network this week — believes Toronto had the most impressive offseason in the division.
"I'm not just saying this [because] I'm from Toronto but I really like what they did with their defense. I mean, the three acquisitions that they made to bolster their defense, especially when you get (Chris) Tanev. I had (Oliver) Ekman-Larsson. When he's at his best, he's still a really good defenseman," Boudreau said.
"These guys are really good players and Toronto is already got the offense, that they can go. If they can get the defense now, to go with it, I really believe that they can make it past that first round and go a little bit further."
Boudreau, who's from Toronto and was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1975, has been a head coach in the NHL since 2007. He's been a bench boss for the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Vancouver Canucks, coaching over 1,000 NHL games.
Another move the Maple Leafs made this offseason was hiring Craig Berube after the team fired Sheldon Keefe. Given the 58-year-old's track record — being a tough guy when he played in the NHL and a hard-nosed head coach — Boudreau believes Berube is the perfect person to lead Toronto.
And the pressure that comes with being head coach of the Maple Leafs? That won't be something that affects the Stanley Cup-winning bench boss.
"I don't think [the pressure is] going to bother him at all. Craig has fought every tough guy in the history of the game. That's pressure. When you're reading the game notes the night before and you gotta go against Stu Grimson and those guys every game, that's pressure," Boudreau said.
"I think he coaches the way he coaches. He's a really good defensive coach, so that's why they added the defensemen that they did. And I think if the Leafs get a little bit better defensively, to add to that offense, and I think Craig is going to be way more accountable than maybe Sheldon (Keefe) was.
"I don't know the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on there, but I mean, [Berube] was always, when he was in St. Louis, whether I was in Minnesota or Anaheim, or Vancouver, I mean he was always a tough guy to go against because the team kept playing the same way, and that's going to make the Leafs a little bit tougher, a little bit more sandpaper.
"And that's how Calgary was when they were really good a couple of years ago with Brad Treliving, so I don't see anything changing from the offense, but I do see them being tougher to play against next year."
There have only been three NHL head coaches who've led two different teams to become Stanley Cup champions: Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, and Tommy Gorman.
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