Elliotte Friedman highlights "biggest change in Toronto" since Craig Berube took over from Sheldon Keefe as Leafs HC

Craig Berube is in his first season as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Elliotte Friedman believes there's one key difference between him and Sheldon Keefe.

Keefe led the team from 2021 to 2024 before being replaced by Berube, who has the Leafs at 14-7-2 and in second place in the Atlantic Division despite a laundry list of injuries.

"The biggest difference between Keefe and Berube is what they're like when the games are not on," Friedman said on Monday (via 32 Thoughts: The Podcast). "Like you have seen Berube during games, getting on the players like he's pretty simple. If you give him an effort and you work, he's not gonna have a problem with you." (47:00)

Friedman believes it's beneficial that Berube played so many games in the NHL since it put him in a position to know that things can go wrong sometimes and that what players can control is how hard they play.

"That's what makes him mad, and he obviously keeps the same way they said," Friedman continued. "Keefe was intense almost all the time. Very intense ground almost all the time. Berube is not like that. When the games aren't on, he's relaxed. He's like, 'How you doing?'" I think that is probably what people in and around the team have told me that is the biggest change in Toronto."

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Craig Berube wants to cut down on penalties for Maple Leafs

Penalties have been an issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A few days ago, Mitch Marner came under fire for an ill-advised penalty. Craig Berube said the whole team needs to improve there.

Craig Berube wants less penalties (Getty)

"I say stuff. You've got to have better control of your stick," Berube said (via The Hockey News). "And to me, there was no reason for it to happen. He should have just worked his way to the net without even being near the guy."

Berube acknowledged that things happen and that it's impossible to know what a player thinks when he does something, but that "we have to all be better."