OverDrive
Johnson on Berube's coaching perception, the Maple Leafs' issues and Hughes' trade outlook
25 Nov 2025
TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the Maple Leafs' injury bug and Auston Matthews' timeline to return, Craig Berube's leadership to the team and the definition of 'digging in' on the ice, the style of the Maple Leafs not clicking, the Canadian teams rough start, Quinn Hughes' possible trade spots and more.
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Here's Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Are you sniffing that out, Johnny? Like we're reaching, hey, just bad year, everything went against the Leafs territory here or what?
I don't think they want to go there, although that might be the case, given the way it's gone and the injuries, the performance. But, I mean, O says Nashville, and that makes sense, except in that example, they followed up with another bad year. Like, I don't think Maple Leaf Sports wants to say this group and this commitment is now window shut. They're getting worse.
They're going to be out of the playoffs. Like, I don't think they're at all... ready to concede that on any level. Not this year, not going forward. So that's where I'm like, you talk about scenario X, coach Y, result Z. Edmonton Oilers two years ago. Jay Woodcroft. Good coach, really good coach. He was replaced for Knobloch, and then they went on to the Stanley Cup final two years in a row.
I'm not saying that would happen if they did that, but I think it's a pretty parallel situation in that good team, high expectations, tons of talent that you can't really change that much, but what can you change?
And this is where it's unfair to coaches, where it's not the coach's fault, but we know that coaches are the easiest and most likely thing to change because players, of consequence, are difficult to change. So, yeah, but I will say, you mentioned the injuries, and I think what the injuries give everyone around the Maple Leafs right now is a chance to extend the timeline of decision-making.
Because they can say, listen, we're out six regulars, and we can't make a decision right now. Let's see what it looks like when we get both our goalies back, when we get all our D back, when we get Austin Matthews and Matthew Nyes. Then if we struggle, then we have that different kind of conversation. But I think the injuries extend that timeline. If they were 100% healthy today...
I imagine these kind of conversations would be going on in different places besides this. Yes. Yeah. Right? Like in the halls of the executive of Maple Leaf Sports, you're like, hmm, what are we going to do here because this is not good enough.
Yeah, I mean, it's a great point, Johnny, but the only problem that I have is, like, this isn't a team, you said, like, ton of talent. I don't see it that way. I think there's top-end talent, but then it falls into a lot of, O calls them J-A-G. Is it J-A-G that you call them? Just the guys?
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