TORONTO -- Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving put his full support behind coach Craig Berube as Toronto navigates a disappointing start to the NHL season.
Treliving made his usual quarter-season address to the media on Tuesday and was candid about how the Leafs have "underperformed" given their 8-9-2 record. But Treliving still believes Berube is the right person to get a "disconnected" Toronto team back on track.
"I've got all the faith in our coach right now, so I don't look at that as the issue," Treliving said. "I believe in Craig and his messaging. Craig didn't become a bad coach overnight."
Berube was Treliving's first coaching hire as Leafs' GM after he fired former bench boss Sheldon Keefe in May 2024. At the time Treliving felt Toronto needed a new voice and the Leafs responded well to Berube last season, finishing atop the Atlantic Division with 108 points.
Toronto is on pace for just 78 points this year, and Treliving is still figuring out why the Leafs have taken such a slide in Berube's second season. Other than losing top-line winger Mitch Marner in free agency last summer, this is essentially the same group Berube was working with in 2024-25. The results, though, have continuously fallen short of Treliving's standards, particularly on the defensive side.
The Leafs are giving up the second-most goals in the league (3.79 per game) and the fifth-most shots against (31.2). Their goaltenders have been average -- starter Anthony Stolarz is 6-5-1 with an .884 save percentage, far from the standout he was last season.
Treliving also sees a general lack of "enthusiasm" from the team that suggests something has to change for Toronto to pull itself back into the playoff picture. They're currently four points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot heading into Tuesday's game against St. Louis -- Berube's old team.
Treliving stressed it's on the Leafs' players to sort out their problems as opposed to management chasing new additions or revamping the staff.
"The reality of the business is you're not trading your way out of problems," Treliving said. "We're not just going to go panic and start throwing things overboard just to do something. My job right now is to support our coach, support his message, and support our group, and push the group."
Treliving also refused to blame the Leafs' injury woes for their struggles. Toronto is missing several key skaters with Auston Matthews (lower body), Stolarz (upper body), Nic Roy (upper body), Chris Tanev (upper body), Scott Laughton (upper body) and Brandon Carlo (lower body) all unavailable. It has significantly impacted the Leafs' center and defensive depth, and that's a challenge they'll have to overcome in the short term.
Toronto did claim defenseman Troy Stetcher off waivers from Edmonton this week to as a stopgap, and goaltender Joseph Woll -- who played his first game of the season on Saturday after a monthlong absence for personal reasons -- should be back up to speed soon.
Matthews, though, only resumed skating Tuesday and will miss his second straight game, while Laughton could return Thursday against Columbus. Treliving is adamant though that unless Toronto can play better collectively, it won't matter who's in the lineup.
"I think there's been too much vanilla with our team," Treliving said. "I think you can count on one hand how many full, complete games we've had. Put anybody in the uniform. "If [we are] playing the way we're playing, we're probably going to have the same result."