Craig Berube says Maple Leafs need to get back to playing direct as new season looms

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube stressed a need for his team to get back to playing the style of hockey they did in 2024-25 after a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Leafs underwent a clear system switch when they moved on from Sheldon Keefe to Craig Berube. The team was strong defensively and physical on the forecheck, and it paid off for them. They won 52 games and took the Atlantic Division title for the first time in the Auston Matthews era, even if it meant taking a step back in most of the offensive categories.

With two wins and two losses through four preseason games so far, Berube stressed a need to get back to the things that made them successful last season before the current one gets underway.

“We want to look like we did last year,” Berube told reporters following the loss. “We’re a direct team, we want to play good defence, we want to check, make sure we’re defensively sound, give our goalies good looks to make saves.”

Defence and physicality are two pillars of a Berube-run hockey team, but that doesn’t mean they’re skimping out on their efforts on the other side of the puck.

“Offensively, we want to be direct,” Berube continued. “We want to get to shoot pucks, we want to get to the net, score some dirty looks. I don’t see a whole lot changing. I think we are still lacking playing direct through the neutral zone, getting behind people to go to work. You gotta keep working on that, we’ve been working on it in practice.

Saturday night’s affair featured all of the team’s top forwards not named Auston Matthews, and a look at what could very well end up being the Maple Leafs’ third line to start the season. Nicolas Roy took the draws and had Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli riding shotgun. Berube said overall he was happy with the effort from the line but acknowledged that

“I thought that line possessed a lot of pucks in the offensive zone, heavy on it. I think, you know, it’s a long week, our guys are probably a little gassed and need a day off.”

The Maple Leafs will have a lengthy break before they close out the preseason with a home-and-home against the Detroit Red Wings. They’ll be back home on Thursday and hit the road on Saturday before opening the season on October 8 against the Canadiens.