How Maple Leafs can use the Olympic break to set a new course

The stretch of hockey heading into the Olympic break was meant to be a good test for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the best way to make a decision on whether the Leafs should be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline (the answer is buyers and sellers but that’s a post for another day). The stretch of hockey in late January also included the five game homestand that the Maple Leafs are just wrapping up and their last significant homestand of the season. Just ten home games remain in the final 30 games and with the Leafs presently sitting 8-11-3 on the road, the homestand seemed pretty important, that’s why the 0-3-1 start to it is nothing short of disastrous for the Maple Leafs season.

The Leafs now sit five points behind the final wild card team, their biggest gap since Boxing Day. William Nylander is out. Chris Tanev is out. And while the next five games before the Olympic break could still see the Leafs hanging onto some playoff hope, the math points to the team entering the break outside of a playoff spot. It’s probably time to take a hard look at the Maple Leafs and instead of pushing all their chips in on hope, use the time the break provides them with and make some key changes to Hockey Operations.

Brad Treliving

What are the Leafs really clinging to with Brad Treliving? Treliving’s legacy with the Flames and Leafs is losing superstars and failing to replace them. His best work in Calgary with success with high draft picks and that is not something he has at his disposal in Toronto in the next couple of years to help him. He’s been a dud at the trade deadline and attempts to remake the Leafs so far has been underwhelming.

Craig Berube 

Berube enjoyed a nice little bump in outputs following Marc Savard’s exit but the issue remains that he’s coaching in a fashion that seems designed to have the Leafs outshot on a nightly basis and arrive second to the puck by design. Offence has taken a backseat to caution which isn’t ideal when you are coaching Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Max Domi, and Nick Robertson, all of whom need to lean into an aggressive offensive push to be at their most effective. It feels like injuries were forcing Berube to play his lineup in different ways and that was successful at first, but reverting to his comfort zone is having an impact on the team.

Why now?

The case for both the general manager and the head coach being relieved of their duties makes sense and the reality is the Olympic break provides the Leafs with an ideal time to lose less of a step than you would normally have by making these moves in season.

The roster freeze starting February 4th means that while GMs around the league are talking with each other, nothing can be finalized with the league until after February 22nd. That gives a new GM the opportunity to meet with the necessary staff, pick up where Treliving left off in his discussions with other GMs, and get to work on some of their own decisions. An internal candidate likely would be able to move quickly on this whether they are permanent or interim, and an external would at least get a clear direction from their bosses on what the key objectives are. Both seem like preferable options to leaving a general manager in charge that might be navigating the trade deadline but could very well be let go shortly after the season ends.

A new general manager might also take a more pragmatic approach when it comes to the Maple Leafs pending unrestricted free agents like Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton, who have the opportunity to bring in assets for the Leafs instead of returning as 30+ year old bottom six forward talent with pay raises next season.

When it comes to the coaching side of things, a new coach gets a lot of time to speak to his new players, study film, and put their own plan in place for the team. Using that time and then basically treating the return to the ice after the break as a mini training camp before the first game on February 25th gives the Leafs the best chance at hitting the ground running and making their best attempt at a wild card spot run.

If Keith Pelley is remotely on the fence about either Brad Treliving or Craig Berube, this seems like the most sensible time to act. The Leafs have reasonable interim options with Pridham in the GM seat auditioning for a permanent role, and Derek Lalonde as an interim Head Coach until the coaching candidate market opens up in the spring.

Maybe neither Brad Treliving nor Craig Berube have been terrible at their jobs, but neither has been great either and the Maple Leafs should be seeking greatness in these positions, positions that aren’t impacted by a salary cap and where the richest team can pay to have the best. And while that might not make the case for firing either of them now, change at these positions seems beneficial and the Olympic break presents an opportunity to make the changes where there can still be a positive impact on the 2025-26 season for the Leafs.