Analyst: Craig Berube 'should be back' as Maple Leafs head coach

The management structure for the Toronto Maple Leafs next season is not yet clear. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the organization may be eyeing Mats Sundin and John Chayka to take over hockey operations.

That said, nothing is official yet, and the last few weeks have been full of speculation and interviews that ended nowhere.

Since Brad Treliving was fired as general manager, there have been rumors about both his possible successor and head coach Craig Berube, even though the latter remains in his position to this day.

NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp made an appearance on "Leafs Morning Take" and opined that Berube will surely remain as Toronto's head coach next season.

Mike Rupp makes case for Craig Berube to remain Maple Leafs head coach

Rupp spoke about past experiences in which, due to locker-room pressure, franchises ended up firing their coaches, creating a negative dynamic in which the front office gave too much power to its players.

"I think he should be back," Rupp said. "Sometimes those year-end meetings could be a real telltale on whether the coach is going to be around or not. I've been on teams where you kind of sit around, and no one likes the coach, and then if you make a coaching change, it's a slippery slope because now all of a sudden it feels like the players are calling the shots."

He added, "I'd like to see Craig Berube get another run here. I'd like to see the group get shaken up a little bit, but at the end of the day, they were a team that didn't really have an identity, and that's Craig Berube's job, no matter the personnel."

Certainly, the Leafs improved, at least a little, in the final stretch of their season, once Treliving's firing and their failure to qualify for the playoffs were confirmed. That said, the change was not significant, and on more than one occasion, it gave the feeling that Berube had simply lost control of the locker room.