After Monday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo’s adjustment process in Toronto, Laughton’s game on the wing vs. center, and the McMann-Tavares-Nylander line.
Practice Lines – Mar. 24
Leafs lines at practice
Knies – Matthews – Marner
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Laughton – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Holmberg – Jarnkrok
KampfMcCabe – Tanev
Rielly – Carlo
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
MyersStolarz & Woll
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What is your sense of where Scott Laughton’s game is at? He felt he might’ve taken a step there in Nashville.
Berube: That was his best game in the last game, for sure. The goal was disallowed, but he was way more engaged in the game and provided more.
What do you like about Laughton on the wing?
Berube: Sometimes, coming to a new team, it is less to think about and less to do. I don’t want to put so much on him early on. But it is not that he can’t play center; he has played center a lot in his career, and he has played wing, so he has played both. We are just trying to find some chemistry for him.
How valuable is it to have the option to use Laughton at center, looking ahead to playoff time?
Berube: I love having two guys on a line who can take faceoffs. That is important. Draws become really important, and they’re important now. He will gets his reps at both positions.
It seemed like you weren’t loving the way the practice was going on early on.
Berube: Execution. That is all. I didn’t like the execution. The passing wasn’t very sharp. It got better, but it is just the mindset coming in. After day off, sometimes, it’s a little sleepy, and the execution is not good.
What works so well when Bobby McMann, John Tavares, and William Nylander play together?
Berube: Bobby has such good speed on that line. He is strong, big, has size, and can skate. He gets to so many pucks in the offensive zone on the forecheck, and then he hangs onto it and uses his speed. That is what I see with that line with Bobby, and he has earned that spot, in my opinion.
What is your biggest takeaway from Brandon Carlo’s game after his first stretch with the team?
Berube: I think he is getting a lot more comfortable. It takes a little time to feel comfortable and form some chemistry with people as he tries to figure out how we are trying to play, more than anything. It is not so much systems stuff. It is about feeling good and comfortable. He is getting there. His game has improved from when he first got here to now.
Are you the type of coach who will have one-on-ones with the new players to try to speed up the process?
Berube: I try to have one-on-ones a lot with a lot of players, but I will talk to both of them about where they are at and what we can do to help them.
What can Anthony Stolarz do to build off of his win in New York after he snapped the four-game losing streak?
Berube: It was a big game. I thought he looked a lot more comfortable, more than anything, in his own game. That was an important game for him and for our team. I am sure he can build off of it.
Scott Laughton on the last two weeks since arriving in Toronto
Laughton: It has been crazy, for sure, but I think I am starting to find my footing.
My game in Nashville was one of my better ones, so I want to build on it.
It doesn’t really matter what the role is here. You try to help this team and be a part of it. I am learning every day and getting better every day, I think.
My family got in last night, or I got to see them two nights ago. That was nice to keep me grounded throughout this whole thing.
It is different. You want to be a part of it but not overstep, especially at the start. It is just about the comfortability, but the guys have been awesome.
It has been really cool to be playing this kind of hockey — important hockey. I haven’t done it in a little bit. It’s exciting.
I thought I was in on the forecheck, created a couple of chances, and had a goal called off, but I thought I created some energy. You don’t want to be on the ice for a couple of those, but I thought I created more in the offensive zone.
Laughton on the lack of production in Toronto so far: “It is not my sole job here, but I want to provide some offense and be a part of it”
Laughton: It is not my sole job here, but I want to provide some offense and be a part of it.
… You want to produce. Even before the deadline, I wasn’t producing in Philly for a little. You want to produce, but you want to play winning hockey. I am going to continue to try to do that and go from there.
Laughton on his comfort on the wing: “A little less work in the d-zone, and more room for offense and cheating a little bit more… I am used to it”
Laughton: I have moved around quite a bit in Philly and have moved around here. I am pretty comfortable at the position. I have probably played it for 20 or so games this year. I am comfortable there; there is a little less work in the d-zone, and more room for offense and cheating a little bit more. I am used to it.
