Ahead of Saturday’s game in Montreal, head coach Craig Berube discussed the status of Bobby McMann (absent from practice), Calle Jarnkrok (returned to practice), and Jani Hakanpaa as well as his expectations for Nick Robertson and Easton Cowan in Saturday night’s game.
Maple Leafs Roster vs. Canadiens – Sep. 28
The @MapleLeafs roster for tonight’s preseason game in Montreal. pic.twitter.com/YYu9Vbc2YH
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) September 28, 2024
What is Bobby McMann’s status?
Berube: Maintenance more than anything. He is one of the guys who is a little sore and banged up a little from camp, but he is fine.
Was Calle Jarnkrok comfortable enough to join the practice?
Berube: He was out there with us for a while today, which is good to see. It looked like he was okay. I still haven’t gotten an update on him, so I don’t know how it went.
There was talk that Jani Hakanpaa might join one of the training camp groups this week. Where does he stand?
Berube: We are hoping. He has done really well. There was a process when he got here. The process has been going well. Hopefully, we get him into a group to start here this week.
What kind of impression has Simon Benoit made on you so far? It’s an interesting time for him, being in training camp and becoming a new dad.
Berube: It is always a fun time. Congrats to him and his family.
He is a physical presence, for sure. Good size. Moves well. He is raw, right? He gives that raw effort every game and every shift in practice, which is nice. He has a great intensity and a good stick, which is nice to see.
Do you want to see anything different from Nick Robertson in a younger Leafs lineup tonight?
Berube: When you have a younger group like this, and you have a player who has played in the NHL — and is coming off of a solid hockey game — it means we need another one. We need him to lead by example tonight.
What are you looking for from Easton Cowan in his fourth straight preseason appearance?
Berube: I thought he had his best game [vs. Montreal on Thursday] skating and attacking with the second and third effort that he gives you. He can make plays and do his thing — we all know that — but I am looking for the details of his game and playing smart.
What makes it so difficult for a player like Cowan to make the NHL as a teenager?
Berube: I think it depends on the team and where you are at as a team. Also, you can only take so much out of exhibition. I think practice is more important, personally. I have liked him in practices with his work ethic and competitiveness. He has some special characteristics as a player, and that is what you look at.
It is still early. I am not going to look into that too much or comment on it.
Why do you find the practices more valuable than the exhibition games?
Berube: With the exhibition games, it depends on what kind of lineup you are playing against and what kind of lineup we’re sending. It is a little bit misconstrued.
At the same time, in exhibition games, you are looking for, among young players and players trying to prove themselves, how competitive they are, their battle level, and situational play.
From a team aspect, we are looking for good structure in our games, getting our defensive game down, getting our tracking down, and things of that nature. That’s very important.
With Dennis Hildeby playing tonight, what is the thought process with Joseph Woll’s schedule?
Berube: We just changed it up. I don’t think I would look into it too much. [Woll] is going to get his games. He has been doing well. He has had really good practices and played solid in the game he appeared in. We’ll have him ready to go.
Three preseason games and ten days into camp, are you happy with the team’s overall progress?
Berube: I am excited and happy with where the team is at, but in saying that, there is a lot of work to do. We had a penalty kill and power play session yesterday. The kill is new. We have to keep working on it. We have to keep working on defensive zone and coming back to our zone. There are a lot of things we need to spend more time on.
Next week is a really important week of practice for us.
