Amidst a four-game skid, Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube admits "things aren't good right now," while urging his team to tune out the intense media noise and focus on the small adjustments needed to avoid market panic.
Mired in a four-game losing streak that has yielded just one point in that span, Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube assembled the club for practice before heading to the Midwest to take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The losing streak has certainly amplified the pressure in the Toronto market.
Despite the team's struggles, Berube noted that the mood at practice was positive.
“I thought the guys worked and had pretty good energy out there, which is good. But, I mean, things aren't good right now,” Berube admitted. “A lot of times you can come in today with practice and everybody's hanging their heads and kind of going through the motions. I didn't see that today, which is good”.
The team's latest loss came Thursday night, a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Kings. Despite jumping out to a two-goal lead, the Leafs were heavily outshot 37-15, highlighting a recurring theme of looking disjointed in their own zone for much of the season.
With the Leafs' roster mostly set and locked in at this point, the primary speculation involves potential moves that wouldn’t affect Toronto’s salary cap, such as a coaching change. However, that might be a premature move for the second-year Leafs coach.
Berube, a former player in Toronto, understands the intense pressure that came with the market when he signed on to be the head coach in 2024.
“There's a lot more talk and a lot more noise,” Berube said. “And we discussed that today, too. I mean, noise, you guys are doing your job, and you're going to do your job. And there's a lot of people that are going to talk”.
David Alter (@dalter) on X
#Leafs lines during practice Nov. 14/25
Robertson-Tavares-Nylander
Blais-Roy-Cowan
Maccelli-Domi-McMann
Joshua-Lorentz-Jarnkrok
Laughton 🛑
Absent: Knies (maintenance)
Rielly-Myers
Benoit-McCabe
Mermis-OEL
Absent: Carlo (maintenance)
Woll
Hildeby
@BodogCA
“The Leafs are big. So there's going to be a lot of talk about it. But you've got to shut that off the best you can and focus on what you need to do night in and night out, and in everyday practice. You've got to try to focus. That's all”.
It has been a long time since the Leafs have played as poorly as they have for such a long stretch. The team’s current predicament forces a look back to the Randy Carlyle era of over a decade ago when the on-ice product was similarly struggling.
Despite the rough patch, the players maintain an optimistic outlook.
“I think we're still positive,” William Nylander said. “I feel like we know that we're able to play better, and I think that's the thing that is important. If we felt like we couldn't play better, then it would be pretty tough to be hopeful and cheerful. But we know we can do better”.
Nylander believes the fixes are manageable: “It's small adjustments that will make a big difference. And, you know, once we're able to sort that out and play together as five guys out there, it'll be good”.
The parity around the NHL has certainly helped shield the team from a massive drop in the standings. Despite their 8-8-2 record, the Leafs entered Friday just four points back of the division lead. The whole division is sandwiched tightly together, which is unusual for mid-November.
But if the Leafs don’t right the ship soon, the time for panic may arrive sooner rather than later.
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