In his end-of-season media availability, head coach Craig Berube discussed where the team fell short late in the series against the Panthers, the experience of coaching Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews this season, and the message to the players heading into the offseason.
Berube’s opening statement on the conclusion of the 2024-25 season
Berube: I think our team made a lot of great strides this year. We accomplished a lot of things.
I really enjoyed working with this group. I really liked this team a lot. I liked the people in the organization and the players — the buy-in from the players, coming in here new and fresh, changing the style, and changing the focus of how we are going to play. The professionalism and buy-in from the players was excellent, right through the lineup; the work ethic in practice, the work ethic in the gym, and then onto the ice, with the commitment they made this year.
We all look at Game 7, and nobody is happy. That is understandable. But we did a lot of good things this year that I am very proud of.
End-of-Season Q&A
There is a lot of talk about fan and media pressure in this market, which exists in other big markets, too. Where do you land on that as an explanation for the team’s shortcomings?
Berube: You just said it. There is pressure everywhere. I don’t care where you are playing. If you are playing in that Game 7, and you are in Columbus, there is pressure to win. The only pressure that we should feel is right inside the locker room from each other. That is my honest opinion.
The Panthers said after the series that pressure was one thing they could leverage over your players. Is that something you think factored into the series at all?
Berube: No. I don’t know how they can do that. Maybe they can call me up and tell me.
Pressure is pressure. I understand it. I do. It is a hard market. It is a great market, though. You have to look at it that way, in my opinion.
Pressure comes from inside the locker room. That’s it. Your teammates are the most important people. That, to me, is the only pressure.
What did you make of Paul Maurice’s comments that the games were tighter than the scoreboard showed? Matthew Tkachuk said that if the Leafs were in a different city, they’d be “unreal.”
Berube: We had two breakaways in the first period, and if we scored on them, is it a different game? That is what he is talking about. Situational things happen in the game where we have a grade-A chance, get some opportunities, and we don’t score, but they go down and get a goal and another goal. It changes the whole [complexion] of the game.
That is what Paul is talking about. Sometimes, scores get blown out of proportion a little bit. If we capitalize on some of our chances early in the game, it is a different game, right? But we didn’t. That is the way it goes.
Matthew Tkachuk’s comments… I don’t know. I can’t answer that question, to be honest with you.
Did you see or sense the pressure affecting the dressing room?
Berube: We looked really good. We were ready. Sometimes, you think you’re ready and are prepared to be ready, but you go out, and you don’t quite have it. You’re not on your toes enough.
That is where I talk about structure again. Structure will take care of a lot of that. You guys might not understand what I am talking about, but it’s just about playing with your structure and staying with it. I thought we lost our structure in the second period of Game 7 for a bit, and they capitalized on a couple of goals. That is the difference in the game.
What was your first season like coaching Mitch Marner, and what have you learned about him?
Berube: Great. I love the guy. I loved coaching him. I loved his energy and personality. He is a hell of a player. He does a lot for this team night in and night out in a lot of different areas of the game. I have nothing but good things to say about him.
What was it like coaching Auston Matthews this season, and what was your takeaway from his first season as captain of the team?
Berube: It is great coaching a guy with that much ability, but the person is even more important to me. Great character. Great personality. I really enjoyed being around him.
I thought his leadership got better and better as the year went along. I thought he and I worked well together from that standpoint. Toward the end of the season, he really took over in that role.
He is only going to grow as a leader now, understanding what it takes to be a leader and the things you have to do — not only on the ice but off the ice. There is a lot that goes into it. I thought he grew extremely well as a leader.
What were some of your injured players playing through in the playoffs, most notably Matthew Knies and Matthews?
Berube: I am not going to talk about injuries and what was bothering them. I talked to you guys about this earlier. There are a lot of guys playing through a lot of things from that standpoint.
That is every team, though. It’s not only ours. At this time of year, a lot of players are going through a lot. That’s fine. That’s normal. You have to battle your way through it. That is all you can do.
I am not going to specifically get into the types of injuries that they had.
You mentioned after Game 5 and Game 7 that a lot of the issues were between the ears or mental. What sort of resources, in terms of the mental side of the game, is the organization providing for its players? How much do you believe they can get over the mental hump?
Berube: When I talked about that and thought about these games in the last couple of days, there is a lot that goes through your mind in these [situations] from a mental standpoint. You may not have your A game in these games, but what you have to rely on is your structure.
When I look at these games and the situations that arise and hurt us in these games, we lost our structure. It is very important that we take this away and come back next year knowing that structure is very important. If you don’t lose your structure, you can get through these games without having your A game.
The organization has people who can work with players. It is all provided for them.
When you reflect on the elements that led to a championship in St. Louis and look at the pieces in Toronto, what is missing here that will bridge the gap?
Berube: It is a good question. I really like this team. I think this team is a very good team. To get over that hump, we have to learn from this Game 7 going forward. We will learn from it, and we will be better.
They are different teams. They are constructed differently from this team. But they are both capable of winning from a talent standpoint and a character and toughness standpoint. We have a lot of that here on this team. We just have to learn to do things a little bit differently in big games and big moments. That is the difference in getting over the hump.
In saying that, you do need bounces to go your way in a lot of situations in order to advance. It is tight. But you have to earn them, too.
You mentioned after Game 7 that you didn’t have a great sense of why the team came out so flat in Game 5 and Game 7. You had a great second half to the first period after a tough start. The team came out for the second period and was blasted. What happened to start the second period?
Berube: We came out in the second period, and we lost structure for a bit. They capitalized on those opportunities. That is the bottom line. I can’t word it any differently than that.
We lost numbers and gave up a 2-on-1. On the other goal, we lost a guy going to the net for a rebound. We lost our structure for a bit, and it cost us three goals. Now, you are down 3-0.
As a coach, looking at the season as a whole, is there anything you wish you had done differently, with a mind toward next season?
Berube: We accomplished a lot this year. There are always things throughout the season that maybe you could’ve done a bit differently as a coach or handled a bit differently, but in the end, as I said, we won our division with 108 points. A lot of good things. We changed our style of play.
I am like a player, almost. Yeah, there are things I can do better. There are things I can do a little bit differently at certain times. Overall, I think we accomplished a lot.
What is your message going to be about what to take into this summer in the exit interviews with the players?
Berube: Every player is different. There are certain things that I am going to tell the player regarding what he needs to improve and what he can do to improve in those areas to become a better player.
For me, the takeaway is that yeah, it hurts right now. Remember that throughout the summer. It hurts, and it takes a lot to win in this league. It takes a lot of pain to win in this league, with what we talked about with injuries and how hard you have to play.
For me, a big takeaway is that you go home this summer, and you become tougher mentally and physically. You are going to need it for next year.
Both goalies are returning next season. The whole defense core is under contract for next season. We don’t know the futures of Mitch Marner and John Tavares. What has to be the priority for Brad Treliving?
Berube: I am not going to comment on that. That is for Brad to comment on. I haven’t even talked to Brad about it. It’s hard for me to answer that question.
Personally, would you like to see the team re-sign Tavares and Marner?
Berube: 100%.
