Maple Leafs' Craig Berube Addresses His Future in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs closed their season with a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators and a 32-36-14 record in a campaign that ended much earlier than the franchise expected.

For the first time in a decade, Toronto won't take part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, prompting changes at the top and leaving uncertainty around several key figures, including head coach Craig Berube.

With the front office in transition and a new general manager coming following the firing of former GM Brad Treliving, Berube addressed his future during the team's year-end media availability.

Berube was asked if he's received any message from Maple Leafs CEO Keith Pelley regarding his future in Toronto as the head coach of the Maple Leafs, and if the expectation is for him to stay put for another season.

"No, I haven't heard anything about that," Berube said. "You know, same as you guys heard. When the new GM gets hired, the people there, they'll make a decision."

Berube indicated he expects to remain in his role but acknowledged that no formal communication has been made regarding his status.

Toronto's season included a sharp decline after the Olympic break, with the team falling out of a playoff position and struggling defensively down the stretch.

When asked about the effectiveness of his system, Berube pointed to efforts made throughout the year to adjust.

"Well, a system's a system," Berube said. "Again, we did modify it this year, at times, and it ended up being the same result. So it's not like we're not trying to work and help the players and try to get them to a different level."

Despite the results, Berube pushed back on concerns about issues inside the locker room.

"I think our culture is good in here, I don't have a problem with the culture," Berube said. "I have a problem with how we performed on the ice… The room is really good. The guys are good with each other. The culture's good around here."

| Craig Berube | End of Season Availability pic.twitter.com/IzbVkJpLqQ

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 16, 2026

The decision on Berube's future will ultimately fall to incoming leadership, with MLSE leadership opting not to make a coaching change before hiring a new executive.

Berube acknowledged responsibility for the season's outcome while leaving his future open-ended.

"It's on me. It's on everybody," Berube said. "You know, we didn't perform at the level we needed to perform to get back to the playoffs."

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 11:55 AM.