'The Coach Has To Be Involved More': Why MLSE CEO Keith Pelley Wants Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube To Have More Say In Key Decisions

May 21, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment president Keith Pelley (left) shakes hands with newly appointed Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube after an introductory media conference at Ford Performance Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Hours after Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan's dismissal, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley had dinner with head coach Craig Berube.

It's been five days since Toronto was boo'd off the ice inside Scotiabank Arena after their lopsided 6-1 loss the Florida Panthers in Game 7. In the days of the aftermath, everyone from the Maple Leafs staff, fans, and media dissected Toronto's playoff failure.

Ultimately, it was decided that MLSE would part ways with Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan.

In doing so, Pelley has opened the door to being more involved with the day-to-day decisions of the hockey club. The MLSE CEO stated on Friday that while he'll be more of a sounding board for those decisions, GM Brad Treliving and Berube will have more influence on the club's determinations.

Throughout his media availability, Pelley compared the Maple Leafs' fan support to that of a European football club. "I saw it this year more than I could remember," he said. "And that tribalism reminded me of my involvement in European football and what happens in the Premier League, where people are invested."

What also occurs in European football is how much control a coach has over the roster of players they're using. With Shanahan exiting the picture, Treliving's decisions won't need to be approved by a team president.

It'll be a clean slate, with Berube having more of a voice in what his Maple Leafs team will look like entering next season.

"I'm a firm believer that the coach has to be involved more than just on the day of the game and in the dressing room. And we have a wonderful asset in Craig, and we have a wonderful asset in Brad," Pelley said Friday.

"And they'll surround themselves with the resources that they need. Like I said, you can have resources, but you have to use them in the right way. How we use them is something we will determine in the weeks ahead."

Although it was another difficult playoff exit, MLSE still believes the Maple Leafs made improvements. Entering next season, though, the company hopes to see more gains made under Treliving and Berube.

"Yes, we won the Atlantic Division, and we came one game to making the conference finals and beating the defending champions, and a pretty good Florida team that seems to be having their way with the Carolina Hurricanes right now," Pelley said.

"But as I said, winning is what matters. That's what I said again last year. That's what ownership is committed to. That's what we're committed to. I have my utmost confidence in Brad and my utmost confidence in Craig."