The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs have finally made a move to shake things up, as Assistant Coach Marc Savard has been relieved of his duties, as per the team. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the team is expected to turn in-house for the time being, with no immediate replacement.
The longtime NHLer was in his second season behind the bench on Head Coach Craig Berube’s staff. The two were reunited from one year together in St. Louis during the 2019-20 season, although Savard went on to serve as Head Coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires for two seasons, as well as a stop in Calgary, before ending up in Toronto starting in 2024-25.
Savard oversaw the the team’s power play, which has been at an abysmal 13.3%, dead last in the league. Going 12-for-90 is simply unacceptable for a team with as much firepower as Toronto. It was a different story last season, as with Mitch Marner in the fold, and the Leafs still firmly a 50+ win team, they ranked ninth-best, at 24.8%. Injuries have been a major factor in the Leafs’ struggles so far, but the likes of Anthony Stolarz, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Carlo are obviously unrelated.
All-world sniper Auston Matthews should be feasting on the power play, but he has just three such tallies to date. In order to put things into perspective, he had 18 power play goals two seasons ago. The captain’s play has been scrutinized throughout, with many wondering if he is dealing with lingering injury issues, but things could not be much worse.
As tired as the Marner talking point is by now, without him, the Toronto power play unit just does not evoke as much fear. Savard had deployed players such as Nicholas Robertson, Matias Maccelli, and Nicholas Roy, none of whom have made much of an impact. Robertson and Maccelli have the skill, and certainly need to play in such a role to maximize their abilities, but that does not necessarily bring enough results. Suffice to say, there may be more going on than what meets the eye, but regardless, Savard has caught the blame. His system emphasized rapid puck movement and creativity, and it clearly such was not a fit.
Currently in a skid which has left them in last place in the Atlantic Division, with many more tough questions on their future, Savard is the first in what could be more moves in 2026 for the blue and white. Despite his inability to get the most out of Toronto’s stars, Savard had strong results as a head coach in the OHL, and the highly respected former player could catch on with another NHL club down the road. Yet for now, today’s news, so close to the holidays, is a tough blow for the 48-year-old.
Merry Christmas Marc
Bush League move….you don’t fire a guy 2 days before Christmas. Especially someone you aren’t replacing from the outside. Leafs should be embarrassed by such a classless act. Would have made a big difference if they waited until Boxing Day.
He gets paid either way. Im all of making fun of the Leafs but dragging out the inevitable doesn’t make any sense
normally I’d agree but Marc Savard has made millions. he’s not going to not be able to put food on the dinner table.
Not at all. He now can enjoy holidays without work stress.
So its fine to be a jerk to an employee if they’ve earned a lot of money?
how is it being a jerk?
A. he signed up as an employee that if he underperformed he could be let go. I’d say a league worse powerplay when they had near a top one the last few years qualifies.
B. the consideration around Christmas is about the impact the firing will have. people scrambling wondering if they can afford what they bought, what they will do next, etc. he is not Joe everybody. he doesn’t need to sorry about these things immediately.
C. in sure he hears the noise in the media/socials. this provides some clarity and allows him to focus on family now instead of split focus.
D. The Leafs still have a game. they are supposed to wait and lose out on a potential 2 more points just be sure it’s 2 days till Christmas?
if this was a person working 9-5 to get by I’d totally agree, but context matters.
Shouldn’t have been brought back to start the season in the first place
Firing a guy on the week of Christmas smh. Real classy move Toronto. It’s not like you couldn’t have waited until after the Christmas break or something to do the firing. What a Grinch of an organization. They deserve to flounder in their pit of despair. Classless organization.
considering they have a game still, why wait? or are they supposed to say, hey how was your Christmas? good? yeah btw don’t come to work
@moneyball Wow, you must be in management. It’s the only explanation for your lack of compassion and empathy during the Christmas season #scrooge
LOL! That should do it, How was their not a bidding war, For Brad Treliving’s services?
Stating the obvious here but this is an odd move. It’s one thing to assess if coaching changes are necessary (which the Leafs should be doing) and quite another for the assistants head to roll if they find it lacking. I honestly thought he had done something specific that led to his dismissal but this seems like it’s due to lack to team performance. If so this is a very amateur move from the Leafs.
amateur? no! he had to go.
now will it be a true difference maker? also no
Leafs have reached the scapegoat stage of grief
Time to trade Matthews; you might get an OK haul from NYR or LA who are facing a bidding war over Panarin this summer.
why trade Matthews now when his market would open up during the summer and teams can take on that big a cap hit?
All-world sniper, lol. Matthews has a shooting percentage of 12 percent this (and last!) season. Not too intimidating for a sniper…
apart from this year where he looks disinterested, his career low is 33. almost any team would want that production.
but sure, he’s having a bad year so no one really wants him now right?
No bidding war from the Rangers regarding Panarin. They’d have signed him already.
What happens when the powerplay still puts up paltry numbers? Fire the equipment managers?
And it probably will continue to struggle.
“[Marc’s] system emphasized rapid puck movement and creativity” says the article. If that’s true, then the players were not listening to one thing he was saying and it’s on them.
The PP was slow, indecisive, and settled for low percentage plays. And that’s if it was able to gain the blueline and setup, which it couldn’t most of the time.
It was a lot like their 5v5 play – stagnant and uninspired. Congrats guys, you got a coach fired. It just wasn’t the one they were hoping for lol.
I say this as a Leafs fan: classless move. Wait until after Christmas. What a joke of a franchise we’ve become. They deserve last place. He may have needed to be replaced but you’re still dealing with human beings here and likely with families. Berube isn’t the issue either. He didn’t suddenly stop knowing how to coach. This is on Prima Donna Auston, Willy, and the rest of those candycanes.
To be fair the Leafs have been a joke for a long time.
this is ridiculous.
1. this isn’t Joe schmo. Savard has made millions in his career. he and his family will be fine. if it was someone who would be significantly financially impacted ok but that’s not this situation.
2. this team still has a game left before the break. likely want to see some new system in place and see how it looks in a one game sample.
No one said ‘don’t fire him before Christmas bc he won’t be able to afford Xmas gifts’. Christmas break is when people get to relax and enjoy family. Getting fired doesn’t really put you in a good headspace to do that.
@Motown. I Don’t disagree with that.
@money. So what about the money? You think being fired by your employer is just about that? Sure he’ll be fine financially but it also is a classless move by the team right before the holidays. What’s ridiculous is having to explain that to you.
explain how it’s classless when they have a game left?
so the leafs are supposed to endure another game of poor coaching because of the calendar being 3 days from Christmas?
this is a sport where players often are away from their families for decent stretches but yeah, a team firing a coach for poor performance that allows him to spend time at home is jerk behaviour.
you are so soft
@money bro you’re just not getting it. A troll is a troll no matter what username it’s under
@money. Then explain to me why there is a trade moratorium during the holidays? Could it possibly be because it’s the holiday season and it’s unfair for players to be traded during that time?
You can name Call all you want, but this is my opinion and you don’t have to agree with it. I hope you get fired during the holidays, lol. Provided you actually have a job. Maybe then you’ll know what it’s like for other people.
As a NJD fan who suffered for a decade after Niedermayer and later Parise and Kovalchuk all left for nothing, I feel bad for TOR fans. It’s gunna be tough after Marner goes for basically nothing (no offense to Roy). It’ll be a slow burn of despair.
how long till they replace berube with torts ?
I’d start watching Leafs for that!
that’s never happening
Leafs logic – subtract a 100-point player from your team and that’ll help.
When did the Windsor Spitfires join the AHL. Great reporting.
Nobody will be able to run a PP with boneheads Matthews and Nylander on it until they get their heads out of their A****. Overhyped and overpaid humans
team has been over 20% for a half decade prior to this year.
Floundering franchise.
Yeah, blame the coach for the failures by the players on the ice. No wonder Toronto is a mess & will miss the playoffs.
Does Moneyball guy work for Leafs PR?
Career earnings US $57,450,000.
I guess he will cope and look for ateam that’s more fun to coach.