Maple Leafs’ Craig Berube drops ‘passion’ take after shutout loss to Capitals

The Toronto Maple Leafs were shut out 4-0 by the Washington Capitals on Thursday. They are stuck near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, while their rival, the Florida Panthers, surge up the table. Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube pointed his finger right at his players when asked what went wrong.

“Craig Berube on the Maple Leafs loss: ‘(The Capitals) had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game. That’s the difference.’ How can he explain that, considering the standings? ‘Ask those guys, not me,” Berube said, nodding to the Leafs dressing room,'” Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reported.

The Maple Leafs had high expectations coming into the season despite losing Mitch Marner. They have won just two playoff series since signing John Tavares in free agency, a contract that is already over. Tavares came back, but Marner is gone and the new era has gone poorly.

Berube was not the only one who crushed the players after the Thursday loss. The Maple Leafs themselves knew that the play was not good enough. Both captain Auston Matthews and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson were displeased with the performance. Matthews said they made it “too easy.” Ekman-Larsson said Washington was “more desperate than us.”

The Maple Leafs now prepare for a Saturday night affair with the Nashville Predators. While Toronto has been bad this year, Nashville is one of the worst teams in the league. Berube’s club should be at the top of its game in front of the national television audience against the Predators. If they are not, the noise will be even louder.

There will always be panic in the biggest markets, even when there is no reason for it. But the Leafs are slipping out of playoff contention as 2026 approaches. Can they turn things around before things get really ugly?

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