The hammer has dropped on Craig Berube. News emerged on Wednesday morning that Berube has been fired as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Berube leaves the team after two seasons in charge of the team. The team will now search for a replacement.
The Leafs have fired coach Craig Berube.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle.bsky.social) 2026-05-13T13:28:41.559Z
Craig Berube Fired by Toronto Maple Leafs
Berube had won an Atlantic Division title with Toronto in the 2024-25 season. However, the bottom fell out this season due to injuries and roster changes. The 60-year-old finishes his tenure with an 84-62-18 record in his two seasons with the club.
The Alberta native also had stints in charge of the Philadelphia Flyers and the St Louis Blues. Berube guided the Blues to their only Stanley Cup championship in the 2018-19 season. However, he has yet to return to those heights as a head coach.
(Credit Image: © Richard Ulreich/Cal Sport Media)
He also had a lengthy tenure as a player in the NHL, including stints with the Flyers, Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. His career spanned 17 seasons and he played in 1,054 career games. Berube was more known for his physical play then his offensive numbers.
What It Means
This offseason has already seen some massive changes in Toronto. The Leafs fired Brad Treliving and recently hired John Chayka as the team’s new general manager. It only seemed logical that Chayka would want to go with his own choice behind the bench.
The Maple Leafs coaching job is a coveted post. However, there is plenty of pressure on the team to get out of the basement of the Atlantic Division. The new head coach will have to get the team back on the same page after a disappointing campaign.
Berube will likely get another shot at some point. Stanley Cup-winning head coaches are hard to come by, and some team will likely give him another change to turn a team around.
Main photo by: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
