Ahead of the final regular-season game, head coach Craig Berube discussed managing a meaningless game #82, the status of his injured players for Game 1, the Domi-Tavares-Nylander line, and which player has surprised him the most this season.
Morning Skate Notes – Apr. 17
Leafs coach Craig Berube confirms he’s sticking with the same lineup tonight in the regular season finale
But he is “fairly confident” that Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe & David Kampf will be ready for Game 1 @TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 17, 2025
Are the players going to be wrapped in bubble wrap tonight? What is the challenge with getting through this game?
Berube: There is no science to it. You go play. We will manage minutes and manage things as best as we can. Just go out, play smart, play hard, and do the things you normally do. That is really what it boils down to.
You can’t go out there and worry (about injuries). You can’t go out there and be tentative. You have to play the game. You can be smart. My job is to manage the minutes.
When it comes to managing minutes, do you expect Matthews, Marner, and Nylander’s minutes to be pretty low tonight?
Berube: I am not going to give you a time on it, but we are going to use everybody.
How confident are you that Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, and David Kampf will be available for Game 1?
Berube: Fairly confident, yeah. They are all in pretty good shape. I feel pretty good about it.
What are your thoughts on the line of Max Domi, John Tavares, and William Nylander? There is a chance to build more chemistry tonight, but where do you stand on their fit as a line?
Berube: There are things that I like, and there are things that I don’t particularly like all the time. For me, it is about them managing the puck more than anything. They have to understand that hope plays aren’t good plays. We need good hockey plays.
If they can get that mindset, it can be a dangerous line. There is a little bit of everything on the line. They’ve done a lot of good things, but there are things they can do better, too.
What excites you about the prospect of the Battle of Ontario rivalry?
Berube: It is a good one, for sure. I wasn’t around back when it was going on (in the early 2000s), but we are excited.
That is a very good team over there. It is a young team that has grown together. They added some veterans. Overall, they are a good hockey team with a lot of good skill on the front and backend. They play a gritty game. It will be a tough series.
A lot of your players have experienced a lot of playoff disappointment over the last seven or eight years. What do you need to do to make sure it isn’t baggage they’re carrying into this series?
Berube: That is in the past. I don’t talk to them about it. It’s in the past.
I am focused on tonight’s game and going forward.
Who has surprised you the most this season among your player group?
Berube: It’s a good question. A lot of guys have played extremely well.
I think Matthew Knies has surprised me with the growth from training camp on throughout the season, with how he has grown as a player and what he has accomplished this year. I am not sure I pictured that.
He has been a special surprise — maybe not a surprise so much because the ability was there, but he is young, and as a young guy, he has grown quickly.
Anthony Stolarz has really peaked at this time of year with three shutouts in his last four and eight wins in a row. How much confidence has he given the group?
Berube: Both of our goalies have played extremely well this year and give us a lot of confidence night in and night out. They really do. They both have done a great job in that situation.
What are your thoughts on five Canadian teams making the playoffs, and St. Louis squeezing in as well?
Berube: It is awesome. I am happy for [the Blues], too. I know a lot of the people there and have worked with a lot of the players. [Jim Montgomery] did a hell of a job going in there and turning things around. Congrats to them.
It is always nice when there are a lot of Canadian teams in the playoffs. It is great for hockey and great for Canada.
What makes Tom Blatchford the GOAT of trainers?
Berube: I was going to give a shutout to him and his family. 1,500 hockey games is a lot of games as a trainer in the NHL. It is a great accomplishment by him. He works so hard. Trainers are the hardest-working people in the organization. It is not close. These guys work. What makes them special is that everything they do is for the team. He is a very special guy.
From your days as a young player to now working as a veteran coach, how have you seen the demands on trainers evolve over the years?
Berube: It is a lot of work. There are a lot of demands.
When I came into the league as a player, we didn’t demand a lot. I think we were just lucky to be there. It felt like we were lucky to be there, or at least I did.
As it goes along, players need more. That is all part of the process. It is different now. There is a lot that goes into it with preparation — the food, and all of that — and it has all grown to another level that is way up there. Trainers need to do more because players need more.
It is not the players’ fault. It is the reality, and it is how it works. They put in a lot of work and do a great job. We are really lucky to have the trainers we’ve got in Toronto.
