Mired by an abysmal stretch of games, how many of the Leafs' problems are due to coaching versus talent?
Did the Toronto Maple Leafs just play their worst game of the season?
If it wasn’t the worst, it was in the running. Outshot 16-2 (!) in the first period. Four shots on net halfway through the game (!!). A second period which saw the Ottawa Senators run around and do what they wanted and eventually break things open during the first home game for the Leafs in a month.
The 5-2 loss was Toronto’s third straight coming out of the Olympic break and third straight display of dejected, dispiriting, flat and admittedly embarrassing hockey.
“Just bad,” captain Auston Matthews said afterward.
Any debate about the trade deadline, and the path the front office may take, was already over. Selling remains the only option. But what does this all mean for the head coach? Is Craig Berube’s future with the Leafs being sealed with the way this thing is unravelling?
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Meh. I mean how many more of these coaches and GMs do you need to tear through, to realize that maybe this ain't the biggest issue.
Coaching is big, and coaches can be like the weather, but I'm not sure coaching is the root cause here. Culture and conditioning is the biggest, I've been saying it all along.