Dreger on Maple Leafs' decision to fire Berube

The day he was hired, John Chayka said, I think Craig Berube is a tremendous coach, a Stanley Cup coach.And today, he fired Berube.So what happened to that?To speak to it, here's our insider, Darren Dreger.Dregs, what changed?

Well, I think it's just some days on the job, to be fair, for the general manager, John Chayka, and his executive, Matt Sundin.What I can tell you, Gino, is you're right.I mean, just Over a week ago, John Czajka talked about how he was going to have to lean on Craig Berube given his experienced voice and the experience that he had with all the players organizationally under the brand of the Toronto Maple Leafs.I can also tell you that Matt Sundin, John Czajka and Craig Berube met on Saturday in Toronto and that meeting went on for several hours, over four hours I'm told, and they basically talked about everything.Individual players, philosophically the type of coach that Craig Berube views himself as and moving forward.What does a retool look like?

What does a rebuild look like?All of those things.So this is John Chyka doing his due diligence.And I think the timing of it to be fair is a little bit surprising, but I don't think anybody can be shocked given the fact that the Maple Leafs have gone in a completely different management direction.And now this is that new management saying, we're going to do the same thing and shifting our strategies with the head coach as well.

I want to follow up on the timing of this, Dregs.Chayka is about to head west to convince Auston Matthews to stick with his team long term.Before Barube and his defensive system, Matthews averaged 46 goals per season.Under Barube, an average of 30 per year.How much of a factor do you think that was?

Well, we'd have to hear that from Austin Matthews.I know that they have a very good relationship.I know that Austin Matthews, even though it's early in the morning in Arizona, will be disappointed by this news.I know that he believes that Craig Berubea really good NHL head coach, a decorated Stanley Cup winner, and he's also a good person.And look, whether it's the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs or most players in that dressing room, players take coach firings personally because it's also an indictment on themselves.

But then you flip the coin.I mean, this isn't Austin Matthews' decision.This isn't a player decision.This is management of the Toronto Maple Leafs decided that they're going in a different direction.So what does that mean for the style of play, the type of roster that they're going to try and build around their superstar in Austin Matthews?So there'll be some disappointment from Matthews' perspective, Gino, but then he has to look to his immediate future and that would be obviously the start of next season.

When you fire a coach, you need to have some idea of who's available and who you want to bring in next.It's still obviously very early in the process, but to have any sense of where they could be headed to look for a new coach from here, Drex.

No, what I'm told is that the process will be wide open, but guaranteed.John Chyka has some ideas, you know, some people in mind that maybe fit the model or at least are worth further exploration as to whether or not they can facilitate the type of game that John Chyka and management sees the Toronto Maple Leafs playing successfully as early as next season.But again, whether you go from the most experienced like Bruce Cassidy, whose name is certainly circulating out there in Los Angeles and potentially in Edmonton.Again a Stanley Cup winning head coach or do they go to the complete opposite direction with someone wildly inexperienced.It will be an open process for John Chayka and he will handle it in a very exhaustive way.

When Keith Pelley took over the team he made it clear selling jerseysin regular season success wasn't going to be good enough.He wanted to compete for the Cup.They brought in Berube because they felt he gave them a better chance of going deep into the playoffs.Then they won a playoff round for just the second time in 20 seasons.Does this mean they want to go back to prioritizing regular season success?

No, I think ultimately the plan is still going to be tagged towards postseason success, right?And as you're asking the question, Gino, I'm thinking back to what was it over a year ago when, you know, we heard from Keith Pelley and he spoke glowingly at the time of the direction that Brad Trilliving as general manager was taking this team, the leadership and guidance, the experience of Craig Berube as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, how close they came to getting past the Florida Panthers.And look, I mean, looking back, doesn't do anyone any good, but you do wonder whether or not there would be a difference in what hockey operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks like now and may look like with more changes expected in the days ahead here.If they'd won that series against Florida, would there have been the significance of change that we're seeing today?And I think the answer to that is probably not.probably not.

I can also tell you, Gino, that my understanding is that Keith Pelley and Craig Berube had a very good relationship.And so this is Keith Pelley saying, okay, John, Matt's You guys have the wheel as the heads of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.So if you're making coaching change, which we now know they obviously have, then that's a decision that you have to believe and trust is in the best interest of getting this team back to a competitive brand of hockey.

When somebody takes over the leadership of an organization the way Brad Trelevine did, he stepped in and said, I need to change the DNA of this team.There's a serious problem with that.There's not enough character on this team.And then he brought in a coach, Craig Berube, who seemed to fit exactly the model that he was trying to develop.Now that you see that Chyka and Pelley and Matt Sundin have decided Berube's not the guy, that's not the kind of personality we want on the team, what do you think that says about what they want to introduce as a potential new DNA?or a new style of play from this organization, Drex.

Well, I mean, it's a question that John Czajka is going to have to address.And look, when he was officially unveiled over a week ago, Gino, I mean, there was so much venom around the circumstance that we really didn't get a good understanding, did we, of the direction that John intends on taking the Toronto Maple Leafs.So we'll learn more of that today, I would say, and frankly, in the days ahead.But now I'm thinking back to the exit interviews at the end of this season.And the messaging from some of the players, Austin Matthews included, and his belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs need more size, a little bit more grit up front.Players, if you will, that are willing to embrace that hard, forechecking physical style to hunt pucks, to get pucks into scoring areas, so that the Maple Leafs, and Matthews maybe specifically, could get back to that level of scoring touch that we've seen throughout varying points of his career.

So it's going to be interesting.thing to see.And here, you know, John Czajka kind of roll out the vision.What does a Toronto Maple Leafs brand of hockey look like with him making the calls as general manager and with Matt Sundin advising?We need to learn that.

Drex, you and I have been through this an awful lot during our careers.Sometimes the general manager, when he takes over the role, says, I'm going to keep my head coach for a little while.So I've got somebody to blame in case things don't turn around quickly.Does this tell you a little bit about Chica saying no I'm putting my stamp on this team right now.

It does.I mean, it's a clean slate.And in a way, I admire him for doing that.Again, think back to when Brad Treleving got the job as general manager in Toronto.He inherited Sheldon Keefe, and he gave Sheldon Keefe a year to see whether or not, you know, the two minds would mesh and whether or not Sheldon Keefe was the right guy to move the team forward.And obviously, Sheldon was let go and Greg Berube was brought in.

Normally and historically, and I guess can throw in traditionally, the new general manager comes in and he does not want to use that bullet of firing his coach right out of the gate.He wants to, again, go through a process, see how the players respond, lean on the experience of Craig Berube.He could have done that.You know, it seemed likely he was going to do that, but instead he goes through that lengthy meeting on Saturday.Undoubtedly, there were meetings and conversations with the Toronto -based players who played for Greg Berube, and he made the decision that we're talking about today.But just to backtrack here before we wrap up, Gino.

How does uh, set schedule in terms of what his days look like.So it is a priority to get new general manager and captain of the Maple Leafs face to face.But as of this morning, they still have an ironout specifically what that date is or what the timeline is around it.So the process continues.

Our hockey insider, Darren Drecker.