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Berube and Tavares Irked as “Immature” Maple Leafs Ignore Defense Again
Craig Berube blasted the Maple Leafs after another defensive collapse — and it’s clear Toronto’s problems run deeper than just goaltending.
John Tavares called the team immature, and head coach Craig Berube has seen enough. After another sloppy defensive effort in a 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs coach didn’t hold back — and this time, his message was meant to hit a little harder than other messages in the past.
“Pretty much the season is we don’t value the defensive side of the puck enough,” Berube said, visibly irritated. “Turnover after turnover cost us the game tonight. We didn’t check anybody. We didn’t win any battles. Two games in a row.”
Toronto’s offense isn’t the issue — they’re scoring plenty. The problem is that they’re giving it right back. Through 17 games, the Leafs rank near the bottom of the NHL in goals allowed per game (3.75) and have already surrendered 92 high-danger chances in Anthony Stolarz’s 12 starts — up from just 77 over the same span last year.
Tavares didn’t sugar-coat it either:
“Our game just, for whatever reason, becomes really immature. We don’t manage the game very well.”
The Leafs’ defensive disorganization is showing up everywhere — careless turnovers, failed zone coverage, and neutral-zone breakdowns that repeatedly lead to breakaways. It’s a mindset problem more than a systems issue, and Berube says he intends to hammer home that message until the team gets it repeatedly. “It’s my job to get them back on track,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to keep banging away at.”
Why Will This Version Of The Maple Leafs Change?
Fans have heard the talk before. No coach in the past has been able to get this talented group of forwards to regularly commit to a 200-foot game. As one analyst put it, “All of the things we would think a Craig Berube team would do, they don’t do them.”
The question now is whether Berube can fix it before the front office does. With trade chatter already swirling around the Leafs, Toronto may soon be forced to find help from outside — because accountability alone won’t stop pucks.
Next: The Maple Leafs’ Goalie Problem Just Got Harder To Ignore
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