Rumor: Craig Berube out as head coach of the Leafs

Last night the the Toronto Maple Leafs finally, mercifully dismissed GM Brad Treliving.

CEO Keith Pelley is reportedly wasting no time in holding people accountable and Treliving was the first person to walk the plank for the Leafs' wasted 2025-26 season.

Head coach Craig Berube was reportedly told the new just before the Leafs were set to face-off against the Anaheim Ducks and Berube made the decision to inform his team just before they hit the ice.

As for Berube himself, he doesn't seem to be worried about his own job despite sitting firmly in the hot seat.

"I don't think about it, guys. I mean, I really don't," Berube said to reporters." You probably think I'm bullsh--ting you, but I'm not. I feel for Brad right now & his family. That's what I feel right now."

NHL insider Darren Dreger reported last night that Berube has been given "no indication" on his status with the team moving forward.

In other words: He's a dead meat.

I full expect that Berube will play out the season as Leafs' coach and there should be no tears shed for him when he is eventually dismissed. After all, he still has two more years and $8 million left on his contract with the team. Still, the moment that the team's on-ice responsibilities are over, I expect Berube will be dismissed.

Incredibly, the players seem to be caught off guard by the news of Treliving's firing given their post-game comments to Leafs' reporter Mark Masters.

I mean... just check out some of these quotes:

"It's really difficult," said veteran John Tavares. "It's still hard to understand the grasp of it all, but mostly we're extremely disappointed as a team ... Brad brought us all in here & had a tremendous belief in this group."

"A little shocking, to be honest," said forward Matthew Knies. Pretty abrupt. Not much of a notice right before the game ... now it's starting to set in. I wish him the best of luck. An unbelievable person. He got to know me really well & I cherish that relationship we had."

Shocking? You just put up the single biggest drop in points in team history... something had to give... this news was the exact opposite of shocking. It was 100% expected.

NHL insider Nick Kypreos reported yesterday that Pelley is continuing his investigation into his team and will meet with all members of the team's management, coaching and player staff to determine what went wrong for the Buds in 2025-26.

From Kypreos for Sportsnet :

In Toronto, Keith Pelley has already started his internal investigation into what went wrong this season. The CEO has scheduled debriefings with various staff members to get a range of opinions regarding management, coaching, and player evaluations. This will also include feedback on player leadership. 

It's important to note that Pelley didn't hire GM Brad Treliving or head coach Craig Berube and there's a belief that he's looking for a fresh start for the team in 2026-27.

Could this mean a full scale rebuild?

The GM is gone, so what about the coach? Then maybe look at trading off some of the team's high value assets like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies?

Time will tell. Stay tuned, Leafs Nation.