Ahead of Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Senators, Craig Berube and Brad Treliving discussed the news of Joseph Woll’s leave of absence. Berube also discussed Easton Cowan and Ben Danford’s opportunity to play with a near-full NHL lineup, the goaltending depth chart, and more.
Can you tell us what you’re thinking about Joseph Woll’s leave-of-absence situation?
Berube: It’s a tough situation for him. We are all here to support him. We’ll do what we can to help. That is really it. He needs to do what he needs to do, and we are all thinking about him. We miss him. We’re all here to support him as best as we can.
Are you confident in the rest of your goaltending depth chart during his absence?
Berube: Yeah, they’ve been practicing really well. Stolarz and Hildeby have had really good days in practice. [Akhtyamov] and Peksa did a good job the other night in Ottawa. They were tested a few times; we tested him early, right on the first shift, when he had a point-blanker. It was good. He was on his toes. That was a design play by the coach.
This must present an opportunity for Hildeby, in particular.
Berube: For sure. We love his size. He has a lot of tools. He is athletic for a big guy. He has been practicing well, especially lately, and we really like that. He will be in the net tonight for a couple of periods.
Have you seen a progression in Hildeby’s game?
Berube: It’s a tough one for me because I don’t really know that much about (goaltending). I see progression when they are stopping the puck. That is the progression I see.
Do you even speak to a goalie in his position, or do you leave it to the goalie coach?
Berube: For the most part, but I do have conversations with goalies. I don’t really jump in there a whole lot with the goalies because they have a great relationship with Curtis Sanford, who does a great job. I kind of leave it. I do speak to them and see where they are at a little bit.
Easton Cowan and Ben Danford receive an opportunity to play with a mostly NHL lineup tonight. What are you hoping the two of them can take away from it?
Berube: They are playing with some good players; we have a pretty good lineup tonight. We just want to see how they look.
I loved both of their games in Ottawa. I thought Easton played a really direct game and did some good things. Those are the type of things I am looking for; for a young kid like him, how is he going to fit in our lineup? Where is he going to fit? Can he do certain things to maybe play with so and so?
As for Danford, he has great feet as a defenseman. He is very composed out there for a young kid, in my opinion. He made some really nice outlet passes. He is simple, and he doesn’t get himself into trouble. I am looking forward to seeing that again from him tonight, and he defends hard. He is a defender and a physical player, but I loved the way he moved the puck. He has his head up, and he has great feet.
How close is Henry Thrun to making this team?
Berube: He is like some other players who are in the picture or in the mix. He will get games again going forward. We have to see more of him and see where he is at.
How serious is Simon Benoit’s injury?
Berube: I don’t believe it is serious, but he is still not available to get on the ice yet. We will see how it goes.
The drill where you draw the line from the corner and do three zones — is it a Derek Lalonde addition?
Berube: Yeah, it is. It is a good drill that promotes in-tight play. The defender has to carry the puck out of the line before they can change. It is a tough drill — a battle drill that is a long, three-minute drill. You go down to the other end and do it again.
It promotes playmaking in tight, and it promotes defending in tight. It is a really good drill, and I really like it. We’ll probably continue to do it.
You seem to like the battle drills. Can a player cross the line in those? Do you want them as intense as possible?
Berube: You have to be smart. We don’t want to be putting our guys into the boards from behind, but at the same time, it is important to get those battles in training camp. They skate a lot throughout the summer and a lot in August with the team, but they are not really doing those types of things. It is hard to jump back in and do them.
I want to get our guys acclimated to battling and competing against each other. That is important, small-area stuff — the box-outs for the D, and so on. Those are the things you have to work on in training camp, in my opinion, so the players are ready to go.
Brad Treliving Addresses Leave of Absence for Joseph Woll
Opening Statement
Treliving: Joe Woll will be taking a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family issue.
It is a private matter at this point. Joe and I intend to keep it that way for him.
There is no timeline.
We obviously support him 100%. I would just ask that everybody respect his privacy.
We are not going to get into a whole lot of detail on it. I apologize in advance for that.
Just for some context, it is not a substance abuse issue. It is a personal family matter that Joe is going to deal with. We will go from there.
Again, I don’t have a timeline, but certainly, our expectation is that Joe is going to back with us. We will see when that is.
Q: Do you know if Woll will be back for the start of the regular season?
Treliving: We don’t know that yet. It is early days.
All our worry is just about supporting him. We’re looking forward to getting him back.
Q: Are you comfortable with the goalies you have remaining in camp in Woll’s absence, or are you looking to find someone?
Treliving: You are always looking at your team, right?
With this situation, we just have to wait and see. We are comfortable with our goalies. Our expectation is that Joe will be back with us, but we will see.
