Craig Berube is blaming player mindset while the stats show his system is why the Leafs are 31st in shots
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Craig Berube says the Maple Leafs don't shoot enough. The numbers say his system barely lets them, and it's another disconnect between the team and their head coach.
A coach who came in last year, transformed the team into a defensive machine en route to an Atlantic Division title, Craig Berube is now someone who is pretty much counting his days.
He's not a bad coach per se, but right now his system is pretty ineffective and without the proper roster built for that type of game, it's just going to be listless efforts as coach and players find a disconnect.
The numbers reveal that the passive defensive structure Berube employs is not working
For Berube, he believes that the players and their inability to shoot as a problem and explained they needed to put more pucks on net to be successful:
I don't think we shoot enough, personally. I mean there's a lot of times where it's just a simple shot...we could move our feet quicker and get them through. I think it's a mindset more than anything.
While that's all well and good for Berube, there's a core reason why the team doesn't shoot enough — his system barely allows it.
This is a slow, aging team who is expected to dump the puck in at the red line and then somehow outrace their opponents to the puck and put pressure on them. It's puck in, puck out.
There's no real energy or speed that can forecheck and keep pace, and if you have slow players trying to pinch or rush the zone; one mistake and you're giving up a 2-on-1.
They rank 32nd in Corsi with a 45.4%, 31st in Fenwick with 45.1% (but only 0.1% higher than Chicago), 2nd in Expected Goals Against (184.0), 25th in scoring chances for and rank worst in the league with scoring chances against.
Basically, the team can't get the puck, when they do they can't keep it, and they are a defensive sieve on the ice where opponents get opportunity after opportunity to score.
How good is a 'defensive-first' team when you can't play defence?
Blaming the players for a lack of killer instinct ignores the reality of a broken defensive system
It's hard to get puck on the opposition's net when you are glued in your own end, and the disconnect is staggering. This isn't guys just electing not to score, but your system allows for only specific, high-danger chances. It's crashing the net and playing in low.
That doesn't give you a chance to pelt shots on net. You wanna know why teams can score five goals on Toronto? They have 40 shots. When you barely can scratch together double digit shots through a period — you're never going to score.
You also don't have anyone on the team except Oliver Ekman-Larsson who likes to shoot. This is why William Villeneuve is such a huge question mark because he can add the offence but only if actually given a shot.
The blame game has been something Berube has played several times in Toronto and more often than not it's a tone-deaf comment that bypasses his issues and points it at the players.
It's time for him to look in the mirror and realize that the players can only implement the X's and O's if they're properly in place and right now Berube is only playing tic-tac-toe with his game plan.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 3|1250 ANSWERS Craig Berube is blaming player mindset while the stats show his system is why the Leafs are 31st in shots Should the Maple Leafs have fired Craig Berube earlier? | ||
| Yes | 969 | 77.5 % |
| No | 281 | 22.5 % |
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