Berube Accuses Maple Leafs’ Stars Of Playing ‘Too Cutesy’ and ‘Lazy Hockey’

We’ll see whether Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube will have to run back his comments after he said Auston Matthews and his team’s top line played “lazy hockey” on the backbreaking goal in a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Thursday night.

Not very likely. Pretty sure Berube would not have taken the Leafs’ post if one of the job requirements was to coddle the stars. Unlike Sheldon Keefe before him, who had to basically apologize for being overcritical of the top players, Berube is not going to go out of his way to make amends.

Nor should he. Coddling has gotten the Leafs one series playoff win. There needs to be accountability, and it starts with Matthews and the other top players, who have looked rather putrid in the past couple of outings.

The Maple Leafs had an 86-43 edge in shot attempts against in the loss to the Blues, which seems hard to believe. But we’ve always known they can generate offense. And as much as they’ve changed the narrative of being a bad defensive team over the past couple of seasons, they’ve regressed in the early going of this season.

It will be up to Berube to correct that by any means he sees fit, and it will be up to the top players to take it and listen accordingly.

Here’s more in today’s video column:

(Don’t see the video? Click here.)

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