A late-season win on Tuesday briefly gave the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans something to be happy about, but the mood inside the locker room shifted even before the game started.
Toronto edged the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime on the Radko Gudas revenge game, moving to 32-30-13 on the season.
Despite the win, the Leafs remain 11 points out of a playoff spot with only seven games left, are virtually eliminated from playoff contention, and will finish the season ending a 10-year-long postseason streak dating back to 2016.
Adding insult to injury, just over an hour before puck drop, the Leafs announced the firing of general manager Brad Treliving, ending his tenure after less than three seasons at the helm of the franchise.
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The decision overshadowed the win and carried into the postgame, where head coach Craig Berube addressed both the news of Treliving's firing and the uncertainty surrounding his own job.
“I don’t think about it, guys. I mean, I really don’t,” Berube said. “You probably think I’m (expletive) you, but I’m not. I feel for Brad right now—and his family. That’s what I feel right now.”
According to TSN's Darren Dreger, Berube “has been given no indication of what his future is with the club beyond this season,” having two years remaining on his contract.
In his first year behind the bench last season, Berube led Toronto to a 52-26-4 record and 108 points, finishing near the top of the Eastern Conference and reaching the second round of the playoffs.
This season, however, the team dropped to near the bottom of the conference standings from the get-go and struggled to improve throughout the campaign.
“It’s still difficult right now for me,” Berube said. “But that’s the business. That’s what happens. We didn’t live up to expectations this year. That’s what happens.”
According to TSN, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley will address the media on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. It's unclear if he will announce any more changes to the organization.
