It might not be a very Merry Christmas for Craig Berube.
That’s because the lifeless Maple Leafs could be well on their way to getting another coach fired. Even though David Pagnotta – our guest – poured cold water on anything being imminent, it really feels like the noise is hitting a fever pitch. Everyone’s waiting for the shoe to drop.
At any rate, Zack Phillips subbed in for Jay Rosehill as co-host on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. On the heels of two more losses, we offered up a vibe check as the Leafs prepare for their final game before the three-day holiday break. Where do they go from here? That’s the big question as the losses continue to pile and they fall further and further behind. Undoubtedly, Brad Treliving and the higher ups have some big decisions to make here.
Even though they lost both games this weekend, the effort was better, which is ridiculous to even comment on in the first place because it should always be there. That said, we aren’t moral victory guys. They pissed away the game in Nashville, and despite outplaying Dallas, they got caved at the most important time of the game. At this point in the season, they can’t afford to drop consecutive games. On top of that, had it not been for a crazy final 10 minutes against Chicago, this three game losing skid could easily have been four. Bottom line: Craig Berube is not getting a response from his players. This team’s on life support. Meantime, yes, we discussed the power play a bit, too. After going 0-for-5 over the weekend, Toronto’s now 12-for-90 on the season. They made drastic changes to their two units. We’ll see how long that lasts. It’s incredible to us that Marc Savard still has the key to that operation.
After that, NHL Insider David Pagnotta stopped by. We wasted no time talking about a potential coaching change. Right now, Pagnotta says nothing’s imminent on that front. In our conversation, Pagnotta also disclosed what he’s hearing Pete DeBoer, widely regarded as the top coach available, is potentially looking for in his next job. For what it’s worth, Pagnotta doesn’t think Toronto would be a fit. Naturally, we spent a good chunk of the conversation talking about the underperforming players. In Dave’s opinion, Morgan Rielly should be the guy they try to deal. Ultimately, that morphed into a bigger conversation about Brad Treliving. According to Dave, his job sounds like it’s safe right now, too. Translation: This team is screwed.
Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join us as we preview the matinee affair with Pittsburgh. Also, Kevin McGran from The Toronto Star will stop by to promote his new book plus weigh in on this disaster.
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