Craig Berube reveals the real reason the Maple Leafs hired Marc Savard

New Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has finally revealed why he opted to hire former Blues and Flames assistant Marc Savard in Toronto.

No shocker here, Berube's mission is to bring success to the Maple Leafs' power play, which is extra important come playoff time.

Although they didn't move one of the "Core 4" members, the Leafs underwent some significant changes this off-season. The goaltending and blueline are significantly different as is the coaching staff. Once the Leafs hired Berube, he wasted no time as he immediately began filling out his bench, hiring Lane Lambert and Marc Savard while retaining some familiarity by retaining Mike Van Ryn.

Following the presentation of Auston Matthews' captaincy, Berube spoke with reporters about his coaching staff, specifically the Marc Savard addition. Savard is set to take over a high-octane regular season power play that struggles in the post-season. Given his style of play throughout his career, Savard's offensive instincts are one of the reasons why Berube brought in the 807-game NHL veteran.

This isn't the first time Berube has worked with Savard, so there is familiarity there as well. Savard ran the power play during the 2019-20 season for the Blues, which was third-best in the league.

One of the biggest issues for the Leafs under Sheldon Keefe was their unwillingness to make changes to the top unit when things were not working, which became noticeable in the playoffs once again where they scored just once during their first-round loss to the Boston Bruins.

As the season progresses, the changes Savard makes will be something to keep an eye on, including if he reverts to the old unit as fast as Keefe and his staff did when things didn't work after a handful of games.

Source: Elite Prospects Marc Savard coaching history

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