Craig Berube Implements Major Roster Changes for Tonight's Clash With the Bruins

For the first time since taking over in Toronto, head coach Craig Berube of the Toronto Maple Leafs faced his old team, the St. Louis Blues, in a highly anticipated game. For Berube, the game did have a very personal feel to it; he put extra pressure on himself in the hopes of making a statement against his former team. However, his the Leafs suffered a crushing 5-1 loss, so it didn't exactly go his way. Additionally, cameras captured a heated conversation between Berube and Matthews that was undoubtedly the talk of the post-game. Later, Matthews acknowledged that he was responsible for his team's subpar performance and that the criticism was justified.

Ahead of tonight's game, as we examine what Boston and Toronto have done in the offseason to improve and how their current seasons are progressing thus far into 2024-2025, we can see that both teams are looking different from a year ago. In order to shake things up before their game against the Bruins, the team decided to give Philippe Myers his season debut by replacing Conor Timmins on the third pairing and replacing Pontus Holmberg with veteran forward Max Pacioretty.

After being listed as the Maple Leafs' day-to-day player following an injury sustained against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pacioretty regains his place in the starting lineup. His teammates, Nick Robertson and John Tavares, have had a slow start, so he will have to get the Maple Leafs third line going. Pacioretty has already scored two goals this season and needs another to match his output from the previous campaign. Although he hasn't played his best, he has performed better than anticipated, particularly considering the preseason worries.

After agreeing to a contract with the Maple Leafs during the offseason, Myers will have the opportunity to make his debut with them. With a strong defensive game, the 27-year-old, who stands 6'5", is the ideal candidate to find significant minutes in Craig Berube's lineup. Myers, who was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers as an undrafted free agent, has fluctuated between the AHL and NHL but has scored 36 points in 158 games, so he could occasionally be a good defensive scoring option for the Maple Leafs.

The two teams will be playing for the first time since the playoffs last year tonight, and there will be a lot of anticipation. Boston is attempting to get back on track, and Toronto needs a big comeback game. When these two teams play, it's always an exciting matchup, and it might be another sneak peek at a possible playoff matchup in April.