Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to see major changes under Craig Berube
Amid the Toronto Maple Leafs' offseason changes, Craig Berube is expected to further shake things up by cutting back Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner's ice time.
Holding the record for the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, the Toronto Maple Leafs made significant changes after their first-round exit in the 2024 playoffs. the team fired Sheldon Keefe after five years to look for a new head coach. They selected Craig Berube, the coach who led the St. Louis Blues to their first Cup after 52 years.
In 2019 he snapped a 52 year championship drought to get the Blues their first cup since joining the league in 1967.
The leafs last title? 1967.
Something poetic about that.
Here he is delivering the greatest pregame speech of all time before game 7 to win the cup. Leafs got themselves a fantastic coach. #stlblues #leafsforever"
Yet, it wasn't just motivational speeches and talented players that secured the St. Louis Blues their Stanley Cup victory. Craig Berube's strategy for the 2019 playoffs involved distributing ice time more evenly across all lines. Only one forward, Ryan O'Reilly, averaged more than 20 minutes per game.
This approach starkly contrasts with Toronto's recent playoff run, where two forwards, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, exceeded the 20-minute mark. Auston Matthews, who was dealing with an injury, narrowly missed this threshold.
Given his track record and these statistics, it's likely that Craig Berube will reduce the ice time of some of the top forwards in the coming season. If he can achieve competitive play without over-relying on Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs might finally break their decades-long curse and reclaim the Stanley Cup.
Source: Hockey Patrol
Expect Major Changes for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner Under Craig Berube
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 8 | 268 ANSWERS Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to see major changes under Craig Berube Could Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews face decreased ice time in the upcoming season? | ||
| Yes | 164 | 61.2 % |
| No | 104 | 38.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
