Craig Berube's Recent Comments May Be His Way of Pushing Maple Leafs to Acquire a Specific Asset
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton - USA Today Sports
Craig Berube's recent comments about the lack of consistency on his back-end could be his way of hinting to Leafs management that they need to make a move.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it a habit in recent years of bolstering their back-end ahead of the trade deadline. They have never swung for the fences on the biggest names available, instead tending to address depth in case of injuries or inconsistencies.
This year, that could change with the recent injuries taking their toll, Morgan Rielly's continued struggles, and head coach Craig Berube vocally looking for continuity for his defensive corps.
On Monday, The Athletic's Jonas Siegel addressed Berube's comments about desiring some continuity on the blueline, and one has to wonder if this was his subtle way of telling management that he could use another top-4 blueliner to help bolster his group and slow the bottom four carousel for awhile.
"Berube said he would like to establish some continuity on a defence that's been changing constantly in recent weeks. 'It would be nice. There's only so much you can do with injuries and other things.'
Ten different pairings have logged at least 25 minutes together since the beginning of January, and now the Leafs may have to shuffle things again with a mysterious injury cropping up with Ekman-Larsson." - Siegel on Berube
Ten different pairings have logged at least 25 minutes together since the beginning of January, and now the Leafs may have to shuffle things again with a mysterious injury cropping up with Ekman-Larsson." - Siegel on Berube
Now, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson dealing with a mysterious ailment, the shuffling and juggling will continue.
Add in the fact that Jani Hakanpaa has only suited up for 2 games and may be done for the season, Jake McCabe has missed 9 games due to injury, and they've rotated Simon Benoit, Phil Myers, and Conor Timmins on a consistent basis, something has to give.
Ekman-Larsson has only missed 1 game to date, but he was forced out of Saturday's contest with a lower-body injury. If he were to miss time, the Leafs would need to find a way to replace his 20:59 ATOI in short order.
Several teams have used the 4-Nations Face-Off as a prelude to the trade deadline and perhaps the Maple Leafs could join in on the fun as well. Looking for depth should no longer be the primary focus. Instead, they need to find a top-4 defenseman to shore up one of their major weaknesses.
Berube's comments should send shockwaves to the front office to at least do their due diligence on perusing the market. Their draft cupboard is a little barren, considering they don't have a 2025 first rounder or a 2026 second round pick, so they might need to be a little more creative.
The 4-Nations Face-Off break will take place between February 10th to the 22nd, whereupon the trade deadline will be right around the corner on the 7th of March, leaving not much time to make the necessary moves for what they hope is a deep playoff push.
MUST READ
TRENDING NOW
