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Craig Berube likes the Maple Leafs’ moves during free agency: ‘They are kind of all in’
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
Jul 9, 2026, 09:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 9, 2026, 09:08 EDT
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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 regular season was pretty much a disaster from start to finish. 
The club finished with a 32-36-14 record, missed the playoffs for the first time in the Auston Matthews era, and, as a result, both general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube were fired. 
On Wednesday, Berube joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to discuss what he thought of the Maple Leafs’ moves during free agency, his relationship with William Nylander, and what the future holds for the Stanley Cup-winning head coach. 
“I think they are kind of all in; they’re looking to get in the playoffs, be competitive, and win right now,” Berube said. “I like what they added. I thought they did a great job of adding depth to their bottom six with guys that are good players in doing the little things out there, whether it’s checking, playing hard, or penalty killing. Then you get some depth scoring with [Jack] Roslovic, a top goalie, and [Darren] Raddysh.”
Throughout Berube’s two seasons as head coach of the Maple Leafs, he and William Nylander appeared to have a difficult relationship. Whether it was Berube’s harder coaching tactics or Nylander’s, what appeared to be indifference at times, from the outside it looked as though they struggled to be on the same page. 
During Wednesday’s show, Berube touched on how much he actually enjoyed the two seasons he worked with the 30-year-old forward. 
“I enjoyed working with Willy. Listen, you have to have tough conversations with him, and there’s things that come up, and you’ve got to battle with him because he’s a special player and talent,” Berube said. “We all know he wants to do things a certain way, and I want things done a certain way, so there’s always a little backlash, but overall our relationship was good. We had real good conversations and talks about the game.” 
Following his firing in Toronto, it became known that Berube interviewed for the Edmonton Oilers’ head coaching vacancy. While the two sides ultimately went their separate ways, Berube spoke on what he sees for himself down the road. 
“For sure I want to coach. It’s what I do, and I feel like I still got a lot left in me,” Berube said. “It’s a different vibe for me not having anything to do this summer, so I’m trying to enjoy other things, which I am, but hopefully I can get a call at some point, get back in the game, and get coaching because I know I got a lot left. I’m ready to be back.”
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