Craig Berube’s willingness to shuffle the deck deserves praise

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube deserves a ton of credit so far this season.

The Leafs are off to a mediocre start but have shown signs of life lately, sitting 8-5-1 on the year after a historic comeback Monday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins and subsequent 5-3 win over the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday night. While there’s been a lot to question about this hockey club this year, one thing that can’t be questioned is the fact that Berube has been willing to mix things up with his lineup as he looks to generate a spark heading into the second month of the season.

Berube’s openness to shift things around paid off in a major way against the Penguins. After two horrible periods from his hockey club, not only did Berube tear a strip off his team during the break in action, but he also shuffled the lines, moving William Nylander to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, meanwhile, Bobby McMann was moved up to the second line, alongside John Tavares and Easton Cowan. What happened next? Matthews scored first to give the team life, Nylander answered with two goals of his own, and McMann capped off the comeback win with just over six minutes left in the game. Berube had a hunch, it paid off, and the Maple Leafs went home with two points.

This has been a tough season for the Leafs’ head coach as it’s obvious that the Maple Leafs haven’t necessarily found their identity. There are some struggling bodies on the ice throughout different facets of their lineup, and Berube’s been trying a variety of moves through the first few weeks to try and find a sweet spot for his hockey club. Ideally, the team is working their asses off, know what their team is all about, and Berube just has to make minor tweaks around the edges, but that hasn’t been the case at all this season. It seems like on multiple occasions, the Leafs have come out flat and with no sense of urgency.

At first it was Max Domi on the right wing of the top line, which didn’t work, and Berube wasn’t afraid to change it. Domi entered Monday’s game as the fourth-line centre. With only three points in his last 11 games, Berube really didn’t have much choice. On the flip side, Nick Robertson is getting a top-six look, and one that many feel he’s deserved for a long time. It’s paying off in spades, as Robertson’s recorded five points in his last four games, and is now up to seven points in 13 games this season. Robertson’s been well over 15 minutes of ice-time per game the last few, and he’s been making the most of it.

Matias Maccelli, who after Domi got a look with the top guns, was a healthy scratch on Monday night, as it’s become quite obvious with Berube early on this season, if he likes your motor, and your fight in the battle, you’ll get rewarded, but if he doesn’t like your effort night in and night out, you’ll be in a suit eating popcorn in the press box. Berube’s leashes have been short this season, and it feels like that’s not going to change anytime soon. And, look what happened. Maccelli got back into the lineup on Wednesday night against Utah and scored the game-winning goal.

Berube gave Cowan a chance to shine

While some coaches would bury their top prospects on their American Hockey League roster after a bad game or two, Berube has been giving Easton Cowan every chance to shine this season. Don’t let the fact that Cowan was reassigned to the Toronto Marlies recently sway the fact that he earned his head coach’s trust in his short time with the team. As much as he may need some seasoning with the Marlies, his demotion was more due to the Maple Leafs having a fully healthy lineup.

Cowan, 20, was coming off his first NHL goal in a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, and Berube gave him not only a second-line assignment, but also a spot on the team’s first power-play unit against the Penguins. It was great to see ‘Cowboy’ get rewarded from Berube, and given a bigger role with the hockey club, as these types of auditions are not easy to come by on most teams, especially under the bright lights in Toronto.

Cowan’s posted four points in 10 games this season. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and his ability to make plays in tight spaces. It’s only a matter of time before he’s consistently lighting up the scoresheet.

Berube’s willingness, and openness to opportunity is something that’s going to steer this hockey club in a positive direction, as he’s not dead set in his ways, he’s letting his creative juices flow. It seems like once Toronto completely understands what type of hockey team they are, and can clean up the second period, there’s a huge winning streak coming at some point.