Friedman shared the news late Friday afternoon ahead of the start of the May long weekend, confirming that talks between the Leafs and Berube have intensified. He also stated that he'd be surprised if Berube isn't named the next Maple Leafs head coach.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli took things a step further and actually stated that his sources have confirmed that Berube will be the 41st coach in Maple Leafs history, so there are certainly legs to these rumours.
Hearing this news makes the Marc Savard report on Friday make even more sense. Savard served under Berube as an assistant in St. Louis back in 2019-20, so it would make sense that he'd potentially want to reunite with his former assistant in Toronto.
While nothing is officially official yet, things do appear to be beginning to take shape in Toronto. No word yet on what any of this means for the rest of the Leafs' coaching staff, including Guy Boucher, Dean Chynoweth, Manny Malhotra and Mike Van Ryn - though it is worth noting that Van Ryn worked under Berube in St. Louis as well.
