There are concerns that the team's current five-game losing streak is spiraling out of control and ruining their chances of another playoff appearance.
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Craig Berube is no stranger to early-season rebuilding projects.
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It's just that last time he was part of the solution, and not perceived as part of the problem.
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As the Blues visited Toronto on Tuesday, Berube continues to be celebrated in St. Louis for taking control of a team with a 7-9-3 record on Nov. 19, 2018, gradually turning them into Stanley Cup champions. It wasn't easy as former assistant Mike Yeo was still seven games under .500 on New Year's Day. The calendar year produced a franchise-best 11-game winning streak and Missouri's first lead in goals since joining the NHL in 1967.
This was also Toronto's last Cup year, and there are concerns – legitimate or not – that their current five-game losing streak (8-9-2 overall) is getting out of hand and ending their chances of another playoff appearance.
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Having heard the same calls for drastic action every time Sheldon Keefe's Leafs failed, culminating in 100-point seasons for Berube's predecessor, we're not advocating for torches and pitchforks on Bay Street just yet. General manager Brad Treliving will also continue to stand by his hire after Keefe repeatedly failed in playoff elimination games, having already sent his trade position to draft capital.
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Berube reached the 100-game mark in Toronto last week with a 60-34-6 record, but reaching the bottom of the division and the conference Gray Cup on Sunday was not part of the plan for this season.
People are rightfully angry that keeping the same six defensemen on a team that ranks seventh in goals, the same No. 1 goalie and four new forwards who were supposed to collectively alleviate the loss of two-way forward Mitch Marner were among the pain points on their center side.
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The only change to the bench was Derek Lalonde replacing Lane Lambert as assistant.
And as the Leafs continue to refuse to cite injuries as an excuse, Saturday's loss in Chicago was a minus. Auston MatthewsChris Tanev, Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz – This puts the lack of depth, understanding of systems and inability to close out games under scrutiny. The last two losses by one goal came when Toronto had a late lead.
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“We're a little unsure right now,” Berube told reporters in Chicago after the Leafs pulled out on Sunday. “But we have to get through this. We have a lead. We get a power play in (Saturday's) third period (one of three after a lot of Leafs bleated that they should get more calls) and don't do anything about it.
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“I have to motivate them as best I can. Maybe it's a kick in the butt (metaphorically, of course, which he gave by barking on the bench), and maybe it's also positive reinforcement.”
“We're missing Tanev and Carlo, who are playing minutes, and that's the way it is. It's the little things that cost games. We need more from the guys who don't play a lot of minutes.”
Tanev, the team's leading shot blocker, played in just eight games. Phillip Myers scored two goals while overly relying on Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly in the 25-minute range against the Hawks.
Blueline relief is expected Tuesday against St. Louis (6-9-4), with the possibility of Carlo returning from a lower-body injury and the arrival Saturday of waiver claim Troy Stecher, a 566-game NHL veteran.
The Leafs have to turn this around someday, and what better symbol for Berube and company than to start it off against Bluenote.
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