Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling to build consistency in the NHL. Craig Berube exposed just that with a stern message to the locker room following yet another disappointing loss.
The Maple Leafs may sit near the top of the Atlantic Division, but their performances haven’t exactly been convincing. If anything, Matthews and company have met expectations in fits and starts—but not on a nightly basis in the NHL.
Berube made sure to remind his players of that after the 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken. Though the point helps, it’s not enough. Following the loss, Berube delivered a strong message—one that might come in handy later in the 2025-26 NHL season.
“We did good things, but like I’ve said, we’re just inconsistent. We’re not consistent enough in our game, we don’t play to our identity the whole game,” Berube admitted, per The Leafs Nation.
Craig Berube, the coach of the Maple Leafs
Helping out
The Maple Leafs learned just how crucial Anthony Stolarz is to their overall operation when they missed him during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a concussion. However, Berube feels Matthews and company are forgetting that key lesson.
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“No, I’ve talked about [protecting Stolarz] already before. Not good enough. In general, we’re not clearing out the crease enough,” Berube commented. “We’re not doing a good enough job there. We have to protect our goalie and be harder around our net. I’m not preaching go and take guy’s heads off, but, enough is enough. It’s a willingness to do it, more than anything for me.”
Can’t run such risks
Last season, when Stolarz went down with a concussion during the second round of the playoffs, Joseph Woll filled in for the starting goalie and did a solid job. However, Woll has taken an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons to start the 2025-26 NHL season.
Therefore, preserving Stolarz—who signed a four-year, $15 million extension through the 2029-30 campaign—becomes all the more essential. Serving as backup for the Maple Leafs is former seventh-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens, Cayden Primeau.
