If the Leafs do fire Craig Berube, one fan's suggestion for his replacement would be pure chaos

With how badly the 2025-26 season has started out, the sky is falling in Toronto, and everyone is pointing fingers towards those who should be taking the brunt of the blame, which includes head coach Craig Berube.

It is believed that Berube should be safe from the hot seat, but should things worsen over the next few weeks, it could become increasingly likely that the Leafs consider a coaching change.

There aren't too many options available on the open market, and while a lot of people would love to bring in Peter DeBoer after his run of playoff success, there's another candidate in John Tortorella that would simply not tolerate the mediocrity -- and would really stir things up in Toronto.

The oft-controversial head coach has drawn the ire of each and every single one of his own fanbases during his stints with their respective teams, but it's hard to ignore the changes and successes that he's brought along the way.

Taking his most recent stint into consideration, Tortorella came into a Philadelphia team that had no identity, future, or pathway. He instilled an identity on day 1 and made sure everyone was on the same page, regardless of their stature, contract, or past successes.

He bumped heads along the way with key players like Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier, and Cam York, but he also revitalized Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler, saw out the best seasons from Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Scott Laughton, and was a key factor in the rise of Noah Cates.

The Maple Leafs have exhibited no identity this season, they are almost playing aimlessly on a nightly basis, and have little to no fire. While it can't all be dropped on Berube's lap, it does seem from the outside looking in that maybe he's lost the locker room.

Hiring someone like Tortorella would be met with a lot of criticism, but players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander wouldn't be able to get away with their lackadaisical efforts under a guy like that.

Additionally, he knows how to deploy Laughton, and I think we all know that he would work wonders with the Matthew Knies.

At the end of his tenure with the Flyers, Torts made it clear that he was not built for a rebuild, which works perfectly in his favour, as he would walk join a Maple Leafs team that can't risk a rebuild and whose window is wide open. He would have a solid base to work around, but trying to get his players in line would be the ultimate test.

While Berube reportedly isn't on the hot seat at the moment, it's certainly something to consider should the Maple Leafs continue to falter in the standings, as crazy as it sounds.