Maple Leafs Must Decide Whether to Retool or Rebuild This Offseason
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be missing the playoffs. With the team struggling on the ice, a crucial offseason lies ahead. As a result, there is growing pressure to ensure that the prime years of Captain Auston Matthews are not wasted.
Now, ownership and management face a defining choice. They must commit fully to a championship push. Or, they need to initiate a reset and rebuild the organization’s depth for the future.
How Did Toronto Get Here? Year 2 of Craig Berube behind the bench in Toronto has been disastrous. After finishing first in the Atlantic division last season, there were still plenty of questions about how this roster would perform.
The loss of Mitch Marner hurt this team massively. In an attempt to try and replace the team’s leading scorer from the prior season, Toronto brought in Matias Maccelli and Nicolas Roy . Both have been underwhelming in their Leafs debuts.
As much as Berube will likely take the blame for the shortcomings of this team, there wasn’t much he could do. A coach known for having a hard-nosed, gritty team, taking after his personality, didn’t match the roster in Toronto. All signs point to Berube now being on his way out.
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