Maple Leafs fire coach Craig Berube after missing out on playoffs for first time since 2016

The Toronto Maple Leafs are making a change after the team’s playoff streak ended this season. After leading the team to a 32-36 record, head coach Craig Berube was fired by the Leafs on Wednesday, the team announced.

After a promising first season with the team, Berube and the Leafs saw a significant dropoff in Year 2. The team finished eighth in the Atlantic Division and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Despite Berube still having multiple years left on his contract, that was enough to get him fired.

Team general manager John Chayka called Berube a “tremendous coach” in a statement, but added that the team was in need of “an organizational shift and an opportunity to start fresh.”

“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” said Chayka. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”

The Leafs did not announce additional coaching changes, though said the team’s next head coach will “determine the makeup of the remainder of the coaching staff.”

Berube initially joined the Maple Leafs on a four-year deal in 2024. Berube was just months removed from being fired by the St. Louis Blues and was working as an analyst for Turner Sports just before being hired by the Leafs.

The team turned in a fantastic first season under Berube, going 52-26 and winning the Atlantic Division. It was the first time in franchise history the team finished at the top of the division.

The team won its first-round playoff matchup that year, taking down the Ottawa Senators. But the Maple Leafs couldn’t make it past the Florida Panthers in the second round, losing in seven games.

This story will be updated.