Comparing Craig Berube's Maple Leafs to Sheldon Keefe
The Toronto Maple Leafs' shift under new head coach Craig Berube is becoming clear and a departure from an only offense toward a more balanced team.
As seen on Sportsnet, following a Game 7 playoff exit to the Bruins, Craig Berube replaced Sheldon Keefe and through the first third of the 2024-25 season, the Leafs are 17-9-2 and look almost like last year's 16-6-6 start.
Offensively, the Leafs have scored 82 goals compared to 102 by this point last year, which is dropping their goals-per-game rate from 3.64 to 2.93.
The injuries of Auston Matthews contributed to this decline since he was not there for nine games but despite a less productive offense, Mitch Marner and William Nylander are leading the charge for the Leafs.
Defensively, the team has improved significantly, only conceding 72 goals versus 89 last year, and their goal-against average has been reduced from 3.18 to 2.57.
Craig Berube's system has tightened up defensive play, with the Leafs ranking fifth in goals against per game compared to 17th last season at the same moment of the year.
Their shots per game have decreased from 32.9 to 28.6, while shots against have also dropped from 32.5 to 29.0.
But when we are really looking at it, the goaltending has been the standout difference for the team.
Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are among the top goalies in the league and are posting save percentages of .928 and .919 respectively.
Anthony Stolarz leads the league in many metrics such as 5-on-5 save with .953 percentage.
In contrast, last season's tandem of Woll and Ilya Samsonov struggled with subpar performances, which is probably why the Leafs struggled too.
While defensive stability is evident, some challenges remain in helping the offense, especially with the high-profile Core Four forwards.
But with strong goaltending and defensive improvement, the Leafs remain competitive in the Atlantic Division, fighting for the first place against the Florida Panthers.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 12 | 222 ANSWERS Comparing Craig Berube's Maple Leafs to Sheldon Keefe Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs are better than last year under Craig Berube? | ||
| Yes | 204 | 91.9 % |
| No | 18 | 8.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
