The future starts now for John Chayka’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ten days after being hired as the club’s general manager, Chayka authored his first significant change, relieving head coach Craig Berube of his duties on Wednesday. The move allows Toronto to head into next season with a clean slate after a disappointing 2025-26, with the club now approaching the campaign with a new front-office tandem in Chayka and executive advisor Mats Sundin, a yet-to-be-named head coach and the first overall pick in the draft, too.
Berube spent two seasons leading the Maple Leafs’ bench, joining the club in May 2024. He guided Toronto to an Atlantic Division title and into the second round of the playoffs in his first year behind the bench before a disastrous follow-up season that saw the Maple Leafs finish last in the division and miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
On Wednesday, Chayka spoke to the gathered media at the club’s training facility in Etobicoke, Ont., to shed light on the decision to move on from Berube. Here are some takeaways:
Moving on from Berube part of a bigger-picture organizational shift
Chayka made his respect for Berube clear, heaping praise on the veteran coach’s character. He also made plain that a change was necessary to install the new vision he has for the club.
“He did a lot of good things here, that’s not lost on me,” Chayka said. “I told him myself, I hope to lead with the same class and grace that he did in his time here. Moving forward, we felt like — in the facility, meeting with staff — we felt like this was the right decision on the path ahead. It was an organizational decision, it was not a verdict on Craig’s coaching.
“We didn’t make this decision in a vacuum. This is a decision that’s not just about a coach — Mats and I spent the last 10 days or so meeting with everyone from the chefs to talking to some of the players and everything in between. And we just feel like there’s some things that we need to change and do better, and be better.”
Chayka said he and Sundin did not solicit feedback from the players about Berube and the coaching staff ahead of the decision to make a change. Many have pointed to a perceived tension between the style of play Berube preached and the make-up of Toronto’s roster. Asked if the Maple Leafs need someone who brings a more up-tempo brand of hockey, Chayka suggested the team would like a closer stylistic fit between the coach and players, but said it wasn’t a key reason Berube was let go.
“I think Craig’s opinion, and I agree with him, is he tried a lot of different things. I think it’s more about how we want to play as an organization, and the types of things we want to value,” the GM said. “I think having the roster fit the coach, at the right time, in the right way, is always an important aspect of it. But I don’t think that was the deciding factor of this decision.”
Maple Leafs planning for wide-ranging search to find next head coach
Chayka wasn’t keen to shed much light on what the club is seeking in its next head coach. But he made clear the organization won’t be limiting its search to the few familiar names that have been discussed.
“Out of respect for the process and the candidates, I don’t want to get into that today,” he said when asked what the team wants from its next bench boss. “It also always seems like then it means that Craig was missing something, which I don’t think would be fair. We’ll have a thorough process — it’ll be a wide search.
"We’ll take our time, try to get it right. It’s the most critical decision as a general manager.”
The GM mentioned multiple times that the organization would be casting a wide net in their search, and said prior NHL experience won’t necessarily be a must, meaning the potential of hiring a rookie coach is on the table.
“We’re going to start very wide, and talk to as many people as we can, with varying backgrounds,” he said. “As a general point, I think experience — and certainly experience in the NHL, and larger markets — could be an asset, and would be weighed. But I wouldn’t discount anything at this time.”
Chayka emphasized, too, the importance of sticking to an organizational vision, though he declined to get into specifics of what that vision may look like in terms of a particular style of play or bigger-picture philosophy.
“Regardless of who the coach is, we should have an organizational vision on how we play and the things we value. And then certainly through that process, align on it. I think it’s best not to discuss all that today,” he said. “We’re going to have a very wide and deep search — it’ll be people across all varying backgrounds and experiences. And through that, we’ll pick the right leader.”
Some have wondered whether the turn of fortune that landed Toronto the first overall pick will impact the team’s search, whether they feel they may now need a coach specifically adept at working with young players.
“I don’t think it’s going to factor in any differently (than) if we didn’t have the No. 1 pick, in the sense of I think it’s important to have the right environment and the right setup for players to come in and be their best,” Chayka said. “Certainly we’ll value that, and evaluate that, as we talk to the different candidates, but I don’t think the lottery as an example would influence how we think about the right candidate.”
The Maple Leafs have no specific timeline for bring a new head coach aboard, according to Chayka. That draft will arrive just a month-and-a-half from now, but the club won’t necessarily push to have a new coach in place by then.
“No timeline. Certainly, there’s key milestones that are coming up, so certainly running an efficient process matters — but we’re going to take our time,” he said. “In a perfect world, obviously all those things align. I just wouldn’t eliminate the possibility it goes longer.”
Chayka focused on gathering information before sitting down with Matthews
Among the key questions facing the franchise’s future is the fate of star centre Auston Matthews.
Much has been reported about the captain’s plans for the final two years of his contract in Toronto, and beyond, as the Maple Leafs approach something of a crossroads. Chayka said the questions around Matthews’ future did not play a role in the team’s decision to part ways with Berube: “None. Zero."
The GM also said he has yet to sit down with the captain for an in-depth discussion about his and the team’s future, preferring to first gather information about the organization and the manner in which it’s been operating.
“We’ve had conversations. I think it was important for me to get a good lay of the land, in terms of our internal workings and what we had in place here,” Chayka said. “That way we can have a really informed discussion — I wanted to make sure that we had all the knowledge we could possibly have, so that when we sit down we can have the best discussion.”
Asked what he’s hoping to get out of that meeting with Matthews, the GM simply said the team’s goal remains the same as No. 34’s.
“Similar to all the players, honestly. I know Auston’s the captain, and a prolific goal-scorer, and there’s much attention on that for that reason, I understand that. From my perspective, as I said in my press conference — and it wasn’t just a line — I view the players as our partners,” Chayka said. “I think Auston’s an accomplished player that is world-class, and I think he wants to align on the vision and the strategy ahead, as do we.
“So, I don’t think there’s any type of competing interests — I think it’s about getting on the same page.”
