Ahead of Monday’s game, head coach Craig Berube discussed the status of Jake McCabe (day-to-day), Jani Hakanpaa (IR), Max Domi, and Max Pacioretty, the decision to pair OEL-Tanev, and keeping Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner apart for the time being.
Morning Skate Lines – Dec. 2
Lines at Leafs skate
Knies – Matthews – W. Nylander
Holmberg – Tavares – Marner
Robertson – Minten – Lorentz
Grebenkin – Dewar – A. Nylander
Reaves, Domi, PaciorettyEkman-Larsson – Tanev
Rielly – Myers
Benoit – Timmins
RifaiStolarz
Woll @TSN_Edge— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 2, 2024
Do you have an update on Jake McCabe and Jani Hakanpaa?
Berube: Jake is day-to-day, but I think he will be fine. It is just a little precautionary tonight, but he should be good. He’s not in tonight.
Hakanpaa is on IR.
Is this connected to managing Hakanpaa’s knee?
Berube: Yeah, just managing the knee. That’s all it is.
How close are Max Domi and Max Pacioretty?
Berube: Domi is close. He will skate tomorrow, and I think he will push it more tomorrow. We will see where he is at.
Pacioretty is probably a little ways away yet, but he is skating, which is good to see.
How big of a hole is Jake McCabe’s absence?
Berube: It is a hole, but we have had holes, and guys come in and fill them. We need the same thing tonight. That’s the bottom line. That’s all I have to say about that.
You were optimistic about McCabe’s situation after the Tampa game, but it was a nasty-looking shot he took there.
Berube: Yeah, it was. Just with the circumstances of it, I think it is the best thing to do for the player. You have to be careful.
What are you hoping to see from Philippe Myers?
Berube: He hasn’t played for a while — since the game in Boston — but he has practiced well, and he works extremely hard.
Keep it simple. He is a big guy who can move well, be physical, and defend well. He is playing with Morgan Rielly, and Morgan can move the puck. Just play your game. His game is simple. You don’t have to complicate it.
He has a good shot. Let’s use it tonight. When we get opportunities in the offensive zone, he should be ripping pucks.
What are you looking for from the OEL-Tanev duo tonight?
Berube: With us losing McCabe, I kind of put two guys together who we can use as a shutdown pair. That is what we are thinking.
Ekman-Larsson has a great stick. He skates well. He’s big and plays physical. That is what we are thinking with the pair.
Have you been tempted at all to move Nick Robertson up with John Tavares and Mitch Marner based on Robertson’s recent play?
Berube: Not necessarily. There might be shifts where I get him out there, but right now, the way I have it is the way I like it structured.
What stands out about Connor Bedard in his time in the league so far?
Berube: Elite shooter. He does a lot of little things with his shot — push and pull stuff — and it gets through all the time. He has an elite shot. He has really good vision, sees the ice really well, knows where people are, and can make plays. He is going to be a good player. He is a good player, and he is only going to get better.
Bedard studied Auston Matthews’ shot growing up. Do you see any similarities?
Berube: A little bit, yes, with the push and pull stuff. Those guys don’t really one-time pucks often. It’s not that they can’t — they will — but it is more of a quick release and the little things that he does with the release.
He studied a good player.
Chris Tanev is understated in so much of what he does. How much does he deserve to be in the conversation for Team Canada at the Four Nations?
Berube: I see what you are saying with the defensive side of things, the shot blocking, and all of the little things he does penalty killing and so on. He certainly could be a guy who could be looked at.
I am not involved in that stuff, so I don’t know, but when you are building a team like that, you do have to look at all kinds of areas and find the right fit with everybody who can do the job.
Myers mentioned that he believes Tanev is the best PKer in the league. What are your thoughts?
Berube: That’s his opinion. I mean, he is right up there, but everyone has an opinion.
He is a very good penalty killer. He sacrifices his body. More than anything, that is the biggest trait he has. He has a good stick and knows how to kill, but it is the sacrifice. He lays it on the line every shift.
How happy were you to see a game with Matthews and Marner apart on Saturday?
Berube: It is not like they haven’t played apart before. Marner and Johnny T have had something going for a while here. I didn’t see a reason to split it up.
I thought Matthews, Nylander, and Knies were pretty good in the game for the most part. You have two guys just coming off of injuries who haven’t played in a while, too.
We will see how it goes. It is game-to-game right now.
