Treliving backs Berube, calls Leafs 'vanilla'

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving backed head coach Craig Berube while acknowledging his team's early-season struggles Tuesday.

"I've seen what (Berube's) done in the past. I've got a belief in the messaging he's given. Craig didn't become a bad coach overnight," Treliving told reporters. "When you go through difficult times, the easy thing is - and it's the natural thing - you're gonna pick off the coach, this, the manager, whoever. The way out of it, to me, is not pointing fingers but digging in together."

Treliving added: "I've got all the faith in our coach right now. I don't look at that as the issue."

With the Maple Leafs sitting second last in the Eastern Conference at 8-9-2, Treliving criticized his club's lack of identity and consistency in the early going.

"I think there's been too much vanilla with our team," Treliving said. "What you try to establish in your team is what it's going to look like on a nightly basis. When you're going well, you have a really good indication - there's gonna be good nights and bad nights - but you have a pretty good idea how it's gonna look like from night to night. A large part of the frustration is you don't know how it's gonna look like.

"It's been in spurts, it's been in periods, it's been within periods. You can count on one hand how many full, complete games we've had."

However, Treliving put the onus on himself for Toronto's problems.

"As we sit here today, we're not where we want to be or where we envision to be," Treliving said. "Obviously, we've underperformed to this point, and I take full responsibility. I'm in charge of the hockey department. I've put the people in place on the ice, off the ice, so the responsibility lies with myself."