Craig Berube’s belief is bewildering, good on some Maple Leafs to man up – and other takeaways

Some Maple Leafs managed to cut through the chaff on Thursday at the team's final media availability of the season.

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Published Apr 16, 2026  •  4 minute read

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll walks to address reporters during the end of season media availability at the Ford Performance Centre. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun

Nothing to see here. Please disperse.

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If only it was that easy regarding the Maple Leafs and their final media availability on Thursday at the Ford Performance Centre.

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Some takeaways from those who spoke after captain Auston Matthews did his bit:

BERUBE’S BELIEF BEWILDERING

Never mind that Craig Berube said he hasn’t been given assurance from anyone in the Leafs’ front office, nor from MLSE CEO and president Keith Pelley, that he will be back next season: The coach believes he will.

And Berube has that belief while acknowledging that what he did behind the bench during the 2025-26 season, the changes that he made, failed on the way to the Leafs missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

“A system’s a system,” a terse Berube said. “We did modify it this year at times and it ended up being the same result. It’s not like we’re not trying to work and help the players and try to get them to a different level. Systems are systems and it has to be executed to be successful.”

If further evidence was required that a coaching change has to happen — we think Berube has to go — veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly unintentionally supplied some.

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The Leafs went 5-15-5 in their final 25 games, the worst record in the NHL after the Winter Olympics.

“We had 25 games left,” Rielly said. “We had multiple meetings about what we needed to do in order to put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs. That was the tone of conversations and the tone of our meetings. To go out and end up where we are is extremely disappointing.”

The Leafs’ numerous problems were discussed at length. It turned out Berube had no answers.

And Berube also said he thought there was good culture in the room, but had no explanation as to why that did not translate on to the ice.

MINDING THE NET

Good on goalies Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll for taking their own pieces of responsibility for a season gone bad.

Woll wouldn’t say why he missed the first two months for personal reasons — and we don’t have a problem with that.

He finished with an .899 save percentage in 39 games and mostly wasn’t good as the season wound down.

“If I look at the season as a whole, I feel like I’ve maybe had some stuff left on the table,” Woll said. “I know what I’m capable of and I don’t think I properly lived up to what I’m capable of. That part of it is very disappointing for myself.”

Woll won’t have to look hard to find motivation. Losing in Game 7 of the second round last year to Florida was one thing, but not even getting a chance to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs was another level.

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“The thing I’ve been leaning into is how brutal this feels,” Woll said. “It felt pretty crappy getting knocked out in Game 7 last year.

“This is a whole different animal, it’s like a slow burn into the year as opposed to being abrupt. I don’t want this to happen again.”

Stolarz knew he didn’t take full advantage when Woll was absent to start the season. As Woll was getting set to return, Stolarz was hurt on Nov. 11 in Boston and missed more than two months.

“First time in my career where I had the ball in my court and was able to run with it,” Stolarz said. “I think I was trying to be this perfect goalie and strayed away from what made me successful. Looking back it, if I had my normal mindset, it probably would have worked out a lot better.”

Dennis Hildeby will require waivers next season to be sent to the Toronto Marlies and it would be an awful look for the Leafs to lose him in that manner.

How the goaltending dust settles in the fall will be, at the least, rather intriguing.

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TAVARES, KNIES MAN UP

John Tavares said it’s his intention to play for Canada at the world championship in Switzerland starting on May 15.

The 35-year-old former Leafs captain will carry some weight to Europe. He was asked about his overall play this season and was open in his assessment.

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“I have to be more consistent,” Tavares said. “The checking side of things, defensive side of things, (I was) on for too many goals against. Those things frustrate you. You reflect on where you have to be better. It’s a major driving force.”

Tavares was on the ice for 65 goals against at five-on-five, the most among Leafs forwards. He was the only Leafs player to skate in all 82 games and we would hope he’s not disappointed in his production, as he scored 31 goals and had 41 assists.

As for Knies, he clearly puts stock in plus-minus where others have stopped doing so. His minus-30 mark was the worst on the team and he could not overlook that despite setting career highs with 43 goals and 66 points.

“I wasn’t expecting to have the plus-minus I do,” Knies said. “We didn’t have that commitment to defending well and defending first before offence. A lot of games we were trailing, we found a way to cheat the game a little bit and try to generate offence. That led to us losing more.”

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