On an off-day for the team on Wednesday, head coach Craig Berube discussed the decision to give the players a break on the road, Mitch Marner and Anthony Stolarz’s status for Thursday’s game in Seattle, and William Nylander’s potential to win the Rocket Richard.
William Nylander made a compelling case for an off-day today. Why did you ultimately decide to keep the team off the ice?
Berube: With travel and getting here late, we just had a team stretch today. We will get a morning skate in tomorrow. It is a lot of travel right now. It was a competitive game last night, and there were guys who played a lot of minutes. We thought it was best if we stayed off the ice, stretch, and then have a morning skate tomorrow.
We didn’t do video with the guys today. We let them be. I felt it would be better that way. The coaches get together and look at all of the stuff, get prepared for tomorrow, and we can hit it all tomorrow morning before the skate. Sometimes, they need a break from seeing video and that kind of thing.
You get a chance to get away for a little bit here. It is a lot of hockey, and it is a lot of travel. They need breaks.
How does a coach enjoy a day off for the team?
Berube: I don’t really need time to unplug. I like doing what I do. I like grinding it out. That is my life, really. I’ll get some downtime today, relax, and not do much, but I like to get together with the coaches, discuss games, discuss different areas for improvement, and situational plays that happen in games. I enjoy that stuff.
It must be nice to feel some milder weather, though.
Berube: Yeah, you can go outside and… Well, you can go outside, period. It was tough weather the last few days in Calgary and Edmonton.
What has a trip like this done for the morale of the team?
Berube: We spent a lot of time at home. Getting on the road, you don’t have distractions. It is just you and the guys. They’re together a lot. They enjoy that side of it when they can be together doing stuff. They had a day off in Edmonton and a day off in Calgary to get together, do things, and enjoy each other’s company.
How is Mitch Marner progressing?
Berube: Actually, good. We will see how he is tomorrow, but he will be on the ice, and we will go from there. I think he is in a good spot. There is a good possibility he could play tomorrow.
He will go out and skate today. He will go out with Stolarz and a couple of extras who didn’t play.
Anthony Stolarz is looking for practice time. Did the off-day impact him at all?
Berube: He’ll get work on the ice today — a lot of individual work with the goalie coach. He felt a lot better yesterday with his timing and tracking of pucks. He is improving. He is getting to the point where he is ready.
Is that the difference between a player and a goalie? You might be able to throw a skater into the mix to find his timing versus a goalie needing the time to feel fully ready.
Berube: In practice, when the goalie hasn’t played in a long time, it’s about whether he is seeing the puck and making the saves he should make. That stuff can wear on your head a little bit as a goalie. They want to feel confident going out that they’re ready. If they’re not tracking it properly and making the saves they think they should make in practice, they are not going to feel like they are ready for the game.
Is the plan for Stolarz to start tomorrow?
Berube: It could be. We’ll see how he does today and go from there. I have to make decisions on these guys yet, and they have to make decisions on themselves. We will see where they are at.
William Nylander is second in the league in goals right now with 33 (four behind Leon Draisaitl). Based on what you have seen from him this year, what do you think the odds are that he could one day win a Rocket Richard?
Berube: This guy gets chances every game, and good ones. He is world-class, in my opinion, with his speed, shot, and agility. He does a lot of really good things.
Whether he wins it or not, I don’t know, but he is doing a lot of good things every night that give him an opportunity to.
You mentioned that he is an interesting player to talk to about the game. Has there been a moment where you’ve thought, “Huh… I’ve never thought about that?”
Berube: All of those high-end, skilled players see the game differently — definitely differently than me. They also float ideas around, and I like that. They should come and tell me what they are thinking and why they did this or that. I want to know. I may not agree with it all of the time, but they definitely think the game differently.
Conor Timmins was a little banged up in Tuesday’s game. What’s his status?
Berube: He has an upper-body (injury) right now. He is probably not going to be in the game tomorrow.