The <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/toronto-maple-leafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>, coach Craig Berube, are facing the remainder of the season without captain Auston Matthews after a knee-on-knee collision with Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks resulted in a serious injury.



Shortly after the incident, the <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/anaheim-ducks-radko-gudas-suspended-five-games">NHL Department of Player Safety</a> announced a five-game suspension for Gudas. The ruling came the same day the Maple Leafs confirmed that Matthews suffered a Grade 3 tear of the medial collateral ligament along with a quad contusion, an injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season.



<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nhl/auston-matthews-agent-judd-moldaver-slams-gudas-suspension-questions-nhl-player-safety">Matthews’ agent Judd Moldaver slammed the Gudas suspension and questioned NHL Player Safety.</a> He argued that the decision damages confidence in the league’s disciplinary process.



Toronto head coach <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/craig-berube">Berube</a> expressed frustration with the decision. “Looking at it, we lose our guy, our captain for the year, I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like enough for me… guy doing it is a repeat offender, it just doesn’t seem like enough,” Berube said via TSN’s Mark Masters.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.bolavip.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/14133327/berube-1-1920x1080.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-597966"><figcaption>Head Coach Craig Berube of the Maple Leafs talks on the bench. Chris Gardner/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Maple Leafs players question the ruling</h2>



Several players echoed Berube’s concerns about the suspension. John Tavares said the penalty “could’ve been longer,” noting that Matthews will miss far more time than the five games Gudas received.


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Forward Matthew Knies shared a similar view, pointing to the significance of losing the team’s top player. “Our best player, our captain, is not going to be with us for the rest of the year. That’s a big loss… I would’ve loved to see a little bit more,” Knies said.


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Maple Leafs’ Craig Berube criticizes Gudas suspension after Matthews’ season-ending injury

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Maple Leafs' Craig Berube criticizes Gudas suspension after Matthews' season-ending injury - Bolavip US

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What was once believed to be a match made in heaven has turned sour. <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/craig-berube">Craig Berube</a> has seemingly lost control of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ locker room during the 2025–26 NHL season, and his job may now be up in the air. 



No matter what they do, the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/toronto-maple-leafs">Maple Leafs</a> can’t stop the bleeding. Mired in a three-game losing streak, Toronto is leaving no stone unturned. After firing assistant coach Marc Savard, the buzz around The Six has far from quieted down. Instead, many believe Berube or Brad Treliving—perhaps even both—could be next in line if the struggles continue.



However, according to reports from an <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nhl">NHL</a> insider the Buds have already made up their minds on what to do with Berube and Treliving.



“The Toronto Maple Leafs made a bench change Monday night — removing Marc Savard, who was in charge of the power play — and, according to multiple sources, the coaching/managerial changes stop there. GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube are not on the firing line,” insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Sportsnet.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1082" src="https://media.bolavip.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/20113832/craig-berube-1920x1082.webp" alt="Head coach Craig Berube of the Toronto Maple Leafs" class="wp-image-530814"></figure></div><figcaption>Craig Berube at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. </figcaption></figure>



<h2>Maple Leafs have bigger concerns</h2>



While fans in The Six have grown sick and tired of the on-ice product put on display by Berube’s Maple Leafs, the issues don’t begin and end at the head coaching job.


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Instead, there are several factors behind the Buds’ struggles. An injury-riddled season may be one of them, but it offers little excuse for such an embarrassing NHL campaign. 



Through 35 games, the Maple Leafs sit last in the Atlantic Division with 35 points. At this stage last season, Toronto had 44 points and was in second place in the division.



<h2>Matthews’ struggles</h2>



Among the main sources of headaches in Hogtown is Auston Matthews’ production. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has looked a gear off during the 2025–26 NHL campaign. At first, many believed it was just a slump, but its persistence may signal that something more is going on with the Leafs’ captain.



Through 30 games, Matthews has scored 14 goals. Coming off a career-low 33-goal campaign, the concern in Toronto is growing, as he is currently on pace for 38 goals this season—which would rank as the fourth-lowest total of his NHL career.


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Maple Leafs make final decision on Craig Berube and Brad Treliving’s job security after firing Marc Savard

Maple Leafs make final decision on Craig Berube and Brad Treliving’s job security after firing Marc Savard - Bolavip US

Maple Leafs make final decision on Berube and Treliving’s job after Savard firing

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