Everyone Is To Share The Blame For The Maple Leafs' Struggles

With only a few days until Christmas, the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing their utmost to get presented with lumps of coal by Santa Claus. But don’t think for a second that it’s only Leafs players who have let down Leafs Nation.

Also, don’t think it’s solely the fault of coach Craig Berube, either – and the same goes for upper management, including GM Brad Treliving and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO and president Keith Pelley.

The truth is, when we’re deciding who’s at fault for the Maple Leafs and their 15-14-5 record, it’s all of the above who are at fault. And it’s easy to see why we’re intent on distributing the blame.

Let’s start with the most obvious culprits: the players. More often than not, the effort just isn’t there. Whether that’s in their recent losses – on Thursday, to the Washington Capitals, and on Saturday, to the lowly Nashville Predators – or their defeats at any point in the year, you could clearly see that there’s a lack of urgency to Toronto’s game, and not even the threat of Berube losing his job was enough to coax strong play out of Leafs players. 

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Indeed, it’s rather pathetic to see how consistently feeble these Leafs are when confronted with opponents, no matter how weak or strong they are.

While a team full of underperforming players can't be fired, Toronto's roster shouldn’t escape the anger and disappointment coursing through the veins of Leafs fans right now. 

Next up in the blame game is Berube. Now, if we’re going to hand Berube some blame, we also have to acknowledge this is the same coach who led the Buds to first place in the Atlantic Division last season.

However, the NHL coaching business has a lot to do with constantly adapting your blueprint for success, and that’s where Berube has been swinging and missing all season long. 

The Leafs are getting outshot in nearly every game, and they can’t create any sustained pressure on offense. That’s on the coach. And while Berube may soon be fired, as many are speculating, he’s got a couple of years of contract security to lean on.

That said, the bottom line for Berube is that a season can turn on a dime in the NHL, and the Toronto bench boss has to accept his role in where his Leafs team is at the moment.

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In addition, Treliving also should have a damning finger pointed his way. He was in charge during Mitch Marner's dramatic departure, and his idea of replacement-level talent has been bringing in forwards Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua.

Both of those off-season additions have basically been non-factors – and Maccelli in particular has been a frequent healthy scratch at a salary of $3.425 million against the cap.

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Not to mention, the Leafs' GM has gambled the franchise's future trading away youngsters such as Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, as well as two first-round picks, among many more assets.

Toronto’s first-year players have been disappointments, and Treliving has to have his feet held to the fire if he’s going to be accountable for his management choices.

Finally, you have to assign some blame to Pelley, who, since April of 2024, has been the public face of Leafs ownership with MLSE.

After he fired former Leafs president Brendan Shanahan at the end of the 2024-25 season, it was Pelley who told the public he’d be vesting more responsibility for the direction of the team in Treliving and Berube.

This was a move that not every organization in the league has made with their coach and GM. So Pelley also deserves to be called on the carpet for the Leafs’ spectacular flame-out this season.

With their loss to the Preds on Saturday, the Leafs have fallen to 15th place in the Eastern Conference – one point behind the Buffalo Sabres. That team’s sub-par performance led to the firing of now-former Sabres GM Kevyn Adams on Dec 15.

But in Leafs Land, there’s been no corresponding move of consequence – only a steady, brutal slide down the standings.

The fact is that the Buds have been an all-around letdown so far this year. Santa Claus ought to be backing up a full dump truck’s worth of coal into the laps of this group.

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