Leafs talk 2

25 Nov 2025 14:09:08
Someone wrote this from another site I visit, and it kind of makes sense, even though Leafs are playing with losts of important injured player's.

Comments from Armstrong (2 years ago after firing Berube) and Tre last week to be interesting and revealing.

Berube is a dead man walking:

Armstrong: "It's uncomfortable when you go to the arena every night and you're not really sure what your team is going to look like."

Treliving: "A large part of the frustration is you don't know how it's going to look like (every night)."
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Armstrong: "There were more nights than not where I felt we didn't win the game. . Not by the score, but by the eye test of 'you were a better team'

Treliving: "I think far too often, even in games that we've won, we haven't won the game."
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Armstrong: "I don't know if we're a better team than our record indicates, I really don't."

Treliving: "I think, as we sit here today, our record is indicative of how we've played."

I have supported keeping Berube for a bit longer, but it doesn't look like his style is changing at all. Leafs can't just be a North/South team 'dumping & chasing'.
They need some kind of hybrid system with the 'dump & chase' along with possession. A 'Cheefe' style if you will.

What do you guys think now about firing Berube now, another week after we've last visited this discussion?

Sure sounds like Berube will be gone soon.

25 Nov 2025 15:16:08
Let's remember, Berube was into his 6th season with the Blues before he was let go. That's a pretty good tenure for a coach and yes, sometimes a new message is need after that amount of time. He isn't even a year and a half in Toronto and a new message is needed? He did well in STL for years before they needed a change.

This is a team that seemed mentally broken for game 1. That can't be the coaches fault. How did Berube create that?
What I see, is too many mentally weak top players (JT the exception) . Too many players that aren't willing and don't want to play the way to win. We can blame Berube and change the system, but end of the day, too many of these guys won't play a hard physical game that is necessary.
We can blame Tre as well. He inherited these guys, but also extended their contracts. In all fairness to Tre, hard to trade guys that had existing no trades when Tre took over if they don't want to go. Muskoka 5 comes to mind.
Here is the thing, do we actually think this group will play completely different and start to battle under a new coach and start to play a playoff winning style of hockey? If Berube and Tre can't get them to, why should we believe a new coach and possibly GM can. Players need to develop some "want to" instead of the current mentality of I don't want to and not going to.

25 Nov 2025 20:44:35
@RLF I'm going to counter that a bit.

Sometimes it isn't that the coach is bad, it's that the team that was built cannot or will not play his style.

They liked Keefe and hated Babs in part because they refused to play hard and wanted to dance around the perimeter. Berube isn't going to change Nylander or Mathews now. They'll be what they are until retirement.

25 Nov 2025 22:35:20
LL. That's my point, if the players won't now, then why would they under a new coach or management. They won't.

The problem is that the original construction of stars by drafting are void of "do whatever it takes" mentality. That's on Dubas and Shanny.

Tre and Berube were pretty much doomed after they lost last playoffs. Leafs stars played as physical as they ever had, they couldn't get it done. Now they don't want to because why battle and take a beating when they can't do it well enough to win. Tre would need to get guys with no moves to waive them. Doubtful that is going to happen.

26 Nov 2025 01:11:17
@RLF so it's a full rebuild with new guys or a new coach and pray for the best.

Bruce boudreau being the guy that fits this team.

26 Nov 2025 13:14:37
LL. The other option is to get healthy, play it out and hope they get so tired of losing that they dig in. If they won't, look t make moves at the TDL and maximize returns. Going to the players now and asking them to waive when they aren't out of it yet, probably gets a no. If they just keep falling off, they may be more willing to waive as it gets worse, should that be the case.
I think they need a guy like Klapka etc. Someone who will come in and set a tone when needed. Get a young wrecking ball like L'Heureux who will hit and has some talent.

25 Nov 2025 10:33:44
It is time for Toronto to trade all their first and second line players for draft picks or whatever they can get. After fifteen years of being an active fan I watched every single game for fifteen years I decided that Toronto was the wrong team to support. So I decided to stop following the NHL completely this season after game number twenty two. It is a tough decision but I need to find something more reasonable to replace it with. T. Ex fan.

25 Nov 2025 02:10:09
Werenski is Probably close to a top 5 d man in the league Matthews alone probably doesn't even get him at this point. Matthews hasent played at a superstar level for almost a year and a half.

25 Nov 2025 09:19:10
He hasn’t been healthy I blame Matthews and the team. He should of never played through the injury last year and he should of never played four nations same goes for this year they should sit him down and tell him that if he’s not 100% he’s not playing the olympics what’s he gonna do demand a trade.

24 Nov 2025 21:17:14
Was just told by a leaf, that i guess berube's jobs in the hot seat...see they need me back from retirement..me and darcy always kicked ass..

24 Nov 2025 02:12:21
Wow i was just told that, leafs are penciled in to make the biggest comeback in sports to win the cup against colorado avalanche in 7 games this season, i guess there going to be down 3 games, and each or there 4 wins will be in o.t, so i was told, will u all believe me that hockeys fixed then...specially for canadian teams, i guess this going to happen because the league is fearful that if they dont, that leafs being the most expensive team in hockey, losing even a quarter of the franchises revenue. Will fundamentally cripple the passion for the league as a whole and that fhead bettman will lose his job. Foremost, readilly embarrassing the fixed american franchises...u know this could be good for the most fixiated sport of all time....stay tuned people, we only got 7 more games to look horrible...then i guess leafs will be plaing .800 hockey the rest of the way...if the same berube american blues can do it...why not the mecca of hockey be great for the sport, it might even change the teams name to torontoican leafs...after all it would be because of all the american on the team....its a win win for the team, sport...a canadian team gets the initial headline, but the american players on the team will get the runnerup glory or a vice a versa...stay tuned...think it starts dec 8th or so...

24 Nov 2025 04:36:15
Buddy,

I can barely read what you're throwing out. It's just jumbled up nonsense.

I'm not saying i disagree, just that I don't understand it.

23 Nov 2025 22:39:20
Wow u fans are unreal, first u guys hated marner he gets traded, now u guys want matthews gone, and the proposals specially from u rlf, shame on you, a future maybe number one center a seviceable puck mover and bottom pair dman in ferraro...for am34 one of the bezt centerman in the game...you guys only care about the bottom 6, why not give matthews up for a 4th line center, and a physical 4th line winger and mid range prospect....the only players on this team that should get axed are domi, joshua, carlo..the only problems this team has is in berube, and trevling...they still think its the 80s90s...the team has stopped playing for the whole coaching staff...there not going to address the areas, so they need to go...berube is a terrible coach and trevling is the worst gm..besides ferguson jr..dont you see what there doing, adding pylons and elderly...berube takes out quillian and puts in blais...thats poor coaching, dont u watch, when some plays gd, or a line is finding chemistry he changes it up...do u people think all the players that arent playing are injured, nope i know some, they just dont like berube and coaching staff system and dont wanna be persecuted by the absurd fan base...im sickened by this system...they took a high explosive scoring system and rubbish right on it cause the fan base said were not tough enough, i surely enjoyed, dubas, kefe and shannyz system way better then this...the players on this team have giving up as i would also...so now u guys are complaining about matthews, u know dam well he dont care anymore, and im not against trafing him...just for true value, not potential top centers and serviceable players or bottom 6 players, if matthews gets traded top players need to come back...u people dont have to worry matthews being traded, as he'll want out if they miss out, that's when u dont get fair value...so instead im gonna say it, people on here, shut your mouth, your under valuing every leafs players, just makes your incompetence look disasterous, in other words makes u look dumber then dog rubbish...im sure whoever runs this site, will probably cut me off, cause they know i know wth im talking about, cause under my other account and last season, i knew marner was going to walk, so i said they needed another top 6...i said from day one signing tanev was a huge mistake, nothing against him, hes great but this is his last seasin as a top 4...i wouldnt doubt, he retires before his contract is done...the defence is the biggest problem on this team...oel, and mcabe rielly are the only ones id keep, and rielly because hes been on our team for awhile, all though his contract will haunt us, u aint getting any value back for him...snd he could be an elite 3rd pairing puckmover for remainder of his contract...so keep those 3...and trade the rest, make sure danfords there next season...and fill in the youth, they wont be great for cpl years, but young peeps have speed, energy and compete...tanev, benoit l, carlo have to go, thsts the starting of fixing your blue line, trvling needs to go...cause of pylons, and elderly and letting our bezt player walk, berube needs to go cause of being on the blues dick, failed system and failed lines...cant u guys see they only wanna add gorner flames and bluez players, dreaming of 7/8 years ago instead of making smart decisions...recap


Joshua, domi, tanev, carlo,benoit, berube and trevling are whats got to go....good luck to your future posts and if these 7 people dont go without adding a top 6 and top puck mover, then unfortunately were doomed...goood day.

24 Nov 2025 00:58:30
Thanks grumpy. Please tell the players you know to stop pretending to be hurt because it's embarrassing and childish. Can you then recruit the justice league to play for the Leafs. Much appreciated.

23 Nov 2025 14:28:54
I didn't see last nights game and by the sounds of it, a good thing. I also get the frustration as last night, from what I have read here, sounds like they had no jump, no push, no drive.

I will say this though, if I showed you the lineup below and said this will be the Leafs lineup this year, would you have them at the top or bottom of the division?

William Nylander -- John Tavares -- Calle Jarnkrok

Bobby McMann -- Max Domi -- Nicholas Robertson

Dakota Joshua -- Scott Laughton -- Easton Cowan

Sammy Blais -- Steven Lorentz -- Matias Maccelli

Morgan Rielly -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe

Dakota Mermis -- Troy Stecher

Joseph Woll

Dennis Hildeby

Let's remember-No Matthews, Knies, Tanev, Stolarz, Carlo and Roy. That is 1/3 of your starting lineup. Not all bottom 6 guys either. #1 centre, 1st line winger, 3rd line centre, top pair D, 2nd pair D and starting goalie.

They have gone 1-1-1 with this lineup.

I know this has not been the lineup all year. They are still only 6 pts out of 1st in the division and 9 back in the conference with 3/4 of the season left. I hope management stays patient because no GM is giving us value on anybody right now, except maybe Edmonton would for Woll, but that is a trade I don't want to make.

Once healthy upfront, then take a look at who to scratch and look at some moves. Unless of course, something comes along that they can't pass up, which I doubt.

23 Nov 2025 16:49:29
RLF after watching last nights game, the lines don’t really matter. There is no heart or unity on this team. Everyone seems to be out there for themselves. Might need more of a personnel change than just Marner.

23 Nov 2025 17:33:14
Clarky. I was referring to the "lineup", not lines. Does this lineup, regardless of who plays with who, look like a an NHL lineup that would win many games? I don't think it does. I don't know what we can expect at the moment if this is the lineup.

23 Nov 2025 18:26:19
@RLF I think it has to do with so much more than last night to me this team has no identity they don’t play for each other and the coaching staff doesn’t seem capable of fixing anything you’re right they get healthy this could be a different team but I don’t see that happening which is one downside to having an old team.

23 Nov 2025 18:37:46
Goat. I am aware this team hasn't performed before injuries. I was the one who wrote they are mentally broken. Point is, they need to get healthy, and then make decisions.

23 Nov 2025 13:07:38
Methinks it’s clear that the Leafs have zero chance to win a Cup this year or next.

It’s also probably likely that they fail to make the playoffs.

If we accept these two assertions it should not be much of a leap to support a re-build.

Start by trading Matthews, Carlo and Reilly asap and load up on young talent and draft picks in 2026.

Build from the back-end out with mobility, size and toughness plus decent offensive skills.

Go ahead and tank this year to retain their top5 protected pick sent to Boston for Carlo.

Hope to win the lottery and select McKenna.

Keep Bérubé for the year and then perhaps look around to possibly improve. Maybe DeBoer.

Either give Tre one more draft and hope he can be better or replace him now so the new GM can have a runway to get up to speed.

23 Nov 2025 18:28:34
Truthfully keep Carlo he may not be a great option but he’s better than whatever we have had plus it only makes that trade look worse to me I’d start by moving Reilly and Benoit easier and cheaper to land a replacement left hand d than a right handed one as we have found out with Carlo.

23 Nov 2025 12:33:32
This team has had the heart sucked right out of them. We need guys with character on this team and toughness. Literally getting bullied out there and no one there to answer the bell. I think it’s gonna be a tough TDL decision this year to buy or sell but IMO of what we have seen so far is be selling. Even in the offseason look at what possible packages you could get back for Matthews, Nylander and/ or Mo.

Get some hard nosed Canadian boys in here that want to bring a Cup home. That was one of the most embarrassing Leafs games to watch for me in over 10 years. Never thought I’d get up and not watch the 3rd period of a Habs/ Leafs game in a Saturday night. This group of guys doesn’t have it for me and it starts at the top. Lastly, one guy I’d love to see get his opportunity this year when back from injury is Marshall Rifai, this guy is the symbol of the direction this teams needs to go.

All heart and will do whatever it takes for this teams needs to, even if it means fighting a heavyweight. If Nylander had Rifai’s heart he would be as good as, if not better than Mackinnon. But everyone will just blame the coach and we will fire another one. Anyways sorry for the long rant.

23 Nov 2025 04:06:50
Looks to me. like all the Berube reaming Willy on the bench hasn't gone over well. Looks like he completely checked out to me.

23 Nov 2025 04:01:53
A retool is in the cards for this team trade all the rentals and dead weight and try and bring back young players and picks I wouldn't fire the staff until the end of the year and then they have to decide if they want treliving running this team