Head coach Craig Berube has been fired, the team announced on Wednesday.
New general manager John Chayka and senior executive adviser Mats Sundin made the decision less than two weeks after being hired.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” Chayka said in a statement. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
The Leafs missed the playoffs in Berube’s second year with the team after he guided Toronto to the second round last year. This season marked the first time since 2016 that the Leafs didn’t make the playoffs.
Toronto lost badly to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal last year, and never regained much momentum this season.
General manager Brad Treliving was fired at the end of March as Toronto slipped out of playoff contention, leaving Berube to finish out the season without a full-time GM.
Despite the two-time reigning Cup champion Panthers falling out of the playoff mix this season, the Leafs couldn’t hold off Atlantic rivals like the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Chayka said the next head coach would determine the makeup of the rest of the staff.