Peter DeBoer responds to rumors of taking over the Maple Leafs.

The struggles of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been highly publicized and, in what is arguably the National Hockey League's biggest market, that has led to a number of rumors surrounding the team. There have of course been the regular conversations about potential trades, but in recent weeks the rumors surrounding Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube have been much of the focus.

There have been rumblings that Berube could be on his way out, with many pointing to former Dallas Stars head coach Peter Deboer as the likely candidate to replace Berube should he be fired. The rumors make a ton of sense with DeBoer almost certainly being the biggest name currently available in terms of experienced NHL head coaches, but while they might make sense it also sounds like they are entirely untrue.

On Saturday night, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that DeBoer has addressed those rumors and has done so by communicating with Berube through the use of an intermediary.

"Peter DeBoer sent a note through a friend to Berube saying 'Forget all this noise, I'm not involved here and it's not happening,'" revealed Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada.

Friedman reached out to DeBoer to ask him why he felt compelled to make that move, and DeBoer once again responded.

"I sent a note to DeBoer about it and all he said was 'I have been on the other end of that, I didn't like the fact that I was on this side of it this time,'" revealed Friedman.

The news will come as a disappointment to the fans who were already calling for Berube's head, although there may not be a ton of those remaining after two big wins for the Maple Leafs last week.

Berube on the other hand can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as I would be surprised to see him fired without the Maple Leafs having an adequate replacement ready to go.