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The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many disappointments in the playoffs. They are coming off another first round loss to the Boston Bruins which is their third in the last seven seasons. The team has only advanced past the first round once since 2004 (2022-23) but also lost in the second round. This has resulted in a lot of pressure on the team and some changes in the offseason.
In May, the Maple Leafs fired coach Sheldon Keefe. General Manager Brad Treliving brought in a new voice and hired Craig Berube, who won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
NHL insiders Mike Johnson and Craig Button talked about the coaching change during the TSN broadcast on Thursday and discussed if it would help the Leafs perform better. Button said that the team’s problems are not on defense or goaltending and pointed at their inability to score.
"The reason the Leafs haven't done well is because they can't score," Button said. "It's not been the goaltending or defense; it's because the offense hasn't gotten it done. These talented players haven't been able to find those moments frequently enough. They changed the coach, and I think that will change the mindset and tactical ways the best players create offense."
He added that the Leafs’ style works well in the regular season but not so much during the playoffs.
"The Leafs' style was effective at creating offense in the regular season, but in the playoffs, it drives up. New coach Brad Treliving will ask and demand they play differently throughout the regular season, which might result in slightly lower totals but higher totals in the playoffs."
Heading into the new season, it will be interesting to see who will step up on offense both in the regular season and playoffs.
Toronto Maple Leafs are led by a new captain in addition to a new coach
Auston Matthews was named the new captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Aug. 14 and replaced John Tavares. Matthews is the first American-born captain in team history and is also only the second non-Canadian to be captain. Matthews is excited about the season and considers it an honor to lead the Leafs.
With a new coach and new captain, there is hope for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They will aim to change their playoff strategy and mindset with a focus on producing better results when it matters most. The upcoming season will be important to see if these changes can help the Maple Leafs finally break their deep playoff run drought.
