After practice on trade deadline day, head coach Craig Berube discussed the additions of Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton.
What is your reaction to adding former Flyer, Scott Laughton?
Berube: I had Scotty as a young kid for a bit. We are getting a great teammate, for one. He is a really good person. Two, he is a guy who is versatile. He can play center, penalty kill, and some power play. He touches all aspects of the game. He plays a physical brand of hockey and is a hard-nosed player, but he has ability.
Where do you see Laughton fitting into your lineup?
Berube: I am still thinking about that. I’ll think about it a little bit. I have always liked him down the middle of the ice.
The team also added Brandon Carlo on the backend.
Berube: He has been a very good defenseman in Boston for some years now. We know that. He is a good shutdown guy. He is a top-four D. A good penalty killer. He has a great stick and defends well.
If the players make it here on time, would you play them on Saturday?
Berube: 100%.
How difficult is it on deadline day to run a practice as players are pulled off the ice?
Berube: It is hard. It is hard to lose teammates and players you have had here and played with or coached. You like these guys. That is the business. It is a tough part of the business.
Do you feel good about the team going into the playoffs with the depth now?
Berube: I do. I like our adds. They make us a better team.
How much say did you have with Brad Treliving and the management team regarding the additions?
Berube: These talks have been going on for a while — where we can improve and get better. Player-wise, I wasn’t around there today, so I wasn’t involved in any of that. I was just focused on our team, getting practice done, and having a good practice.
What do you make of the outlook in your division with Florida adding Brad Marchand and all of the additions made?
Berube: It is a tough division, for sure. Teams got better.
How is Chris Tanev coming along?
Berube: He is doing well. He took more contact today in practice and in battles, which was good. I doubt he will play tomorrow. That is still up in the air.
What was the emphasis in practice today ahead of a big challenge against the Avalanche?
Berube: Going back to the last game against Vegas, we were loose on our reloads and our tracking parts of the game. We worked on that quite a bit, ensuring we did a better job there. The game was right there for us, in my opinion. I liked our start in terms of how we were skating, but we were a little bit loose on the other side of the puck.
We worked on that today, and we are going to need to be good tomorrow with Colorado and their skill level. With their adds, they got even better. It is a good team.
Auston Matthews on the addition of Laughton & Carlo: “Two good players… It will definitely give us an extra boost.”
Matthews: They are two good players. I actually know both of them decently well. I am excited for them to join the team. It will definitely give us an extra boost, as I said the other day, with bringing in the new players. We’ll go from there.
… I did a camp in Florida many years back (with Laughton), and we actually flew to Toronto together. I got to know him throughout the camp and throughout our travels. He is a good player; he’s hard to play against and plays with some edge. He is definitely a guy you want on your team. (Off the ice), he is pretty laid-back and relaxed. Pretty funny. A lot of the Toronto guys know him. He should come in and fit in pretty easily.
… I played World Juniors with [Brandon Carlo]. Awesome, awesome guy. Super down to earth. He is a big man and hard to play against. He is hard to get by. He has a long reach. I am happy to be on this side playing with him now.
