Following the 2025-26 NHL campaign that resulted in missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a decade, new Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka shook up the coaching staff.
He fired head coach Craig Berube and did not retain assistants Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde; he then hired former Maple Leafs assistant coach Jim Hiller, who had been with the Los Angeles Kings, as Berube’s replacement.
He also hired former Ottawa Senators captain and assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson, along with John Gruden and Brad Werenka.
Recently, Berube faced criticism for how he used captain Auston Matthews, who saw his goal-scoring drop from a career-best 69 goals in 2023-24 to 33 and 27 across the next two seasons, and now, he’s responding.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Fires Back
Former Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who remains a coaching free agent after being let go by Toronto following the season, is hitting back at criticism for how he used Matthews and said that he was trying to instill a “200-foot game” in all his players.
“Yeah, I think there’s a lot of injuries with Matthews the last couple of years and stuff like that that hindered his goal scoring. But listen, I was trying to instill a 200-foot game for everybody. And if that meant he had to take more D-zone draws than he normally does because he’s playing against top lines, well, that was my thought process on it. And, you know, I stick by my guns,” Berube explained on First Up.
“I mean, I think your best player, arguably your best player, has to play a 200-foot game and he’s going to have to play in the D-zone at times and take faceoffs in the defensive zone,” he continued. “But if you look at it, he got a lot of offensive zone starts too. I think last year I probably gave him more than any other player on our team, him or William Nylander.”
Matthews did deal with injury concerns, so much so that he traveled overseas to Germany for treatment; he also suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain in March of last season, which ended his campaign.
John Chayka Fired Berube Following The 2025-26 NHL Season
The Maple Leafs made a notable change in leadership in late March, firing general manager Brad Treliving when it became clear the club was not going to make the playoffs.
In came John Chayka, the former GM of the Arizona Coyotes, and one of his first big moves was giving Berube a pink slip.
However, Chayka was sure to mention that the decision was nothing personal, and that he still believed that Berube is a good head coach who made positive impacts during his time with the Leafs.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” Chayka said. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
Ex-Leafs Coach Craig Berube Fires Back At Critics