Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

After Friday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed James Reimer joining camp on a PTO, Morgan Rielly’s role on the top power-play unit, and Anthony Stolarz’s ability to handle a larger workload in net.

Practice Lines – September 26

How well do you know James Reimer, if at all?

Berube: He’s an NHL goalie. He’s been an NHL goalie. I have never met the guy.

When do you expect Reimer to join the group?

Berube: Tomorrow.

Does this suggest that Joseph Woll might take a little bit longer than expected to return?

Berube: No, it doesn’t suggest anything. It is just depth.

What did you like about Matias Maccelli’s game in Montreal? What are you looking for from him moving forward?

Berube: I thought he played a good game last night. He got pucks in traffic and got out of traffic with the puck. He moved his feet. He was protecting it. I liked that he got pucks through the neutral zone and was moving his feet. He advanced the puck well and made good decisions with it.

Again, he makes good plays with the puck. He sees the ice well. On the PP, I really liked that he is walking downhill and ripping pucks from the halfwall. He has a good shot. I just want to keep reinforcing him to use the shot as much as possible.

What is the key for Morgan Rielly to succeed on the top power-play unit?

Berube: Has he not had success on it before here? He could probably do the same thing.

It is always up and down on the power play. It is not on one guy. It is on all five guys to work together and do things right.

It is not complicated. Morgan has to move pucks to the flanks, obviously, and he has to shoot the puck. When you have an opportunity to shoot it, shoot it. We have two big guys at the net. That is always a good play, in my opinion.

You don’t have to complicate the power play. A lot of times, when we are upset about power plays, it is about simplifying. There is too much outside stuff and too much passing. Simplify: shoot it, move it, shoot it, and move it.

Rielly is capable of it. We have all seen it before. We will get it down.

What gives you faith in Anthony Stolarz and his ability to handle more starts this season?

Berube: He has been in the league for quite some time now. He has wanted more. He played around 30 last year, and without injury, he might have played more. He has shown us last year that he can handle the load, from what I saw last year.

He is at the point in his career where he is a veteran guy who has been around for a long time. Over the years, he has learned how to take care of his body and what type of shape he needs to be in to handle a heavier workload. And he wants a heavier workload.

William Nylander was taking some PK reps today. What are the chances of him carving out a role there? 

Berube: As good as anybody else on the team.

What do you want to see from Nylander to prove he can handle it?

Berube: On the penalty kill, sacrifice is a big part of it, your PK routes, and doing the right things. It is work. On the PK, the routes and the system are really important, but it is also about effort and sacrifice. That’s the penalty kill, all day long.

Are you down to mostly one group now on the ice?

Berube: No, I am going to be out there with two groups tomorrow. Working hard again!

You probably experienced two-a-day workouts as a player in training camp, right?

Berube: In my first little while, yeah. In Philly, we would have two-a-days with Mike Keenan, for sure. We would have practice and then games all the time. That went on for around a week, probably. It was pretty tough.

What is the latest on Marshall Rifai?

Berube: Yeah, wrist surgery. He will be out for a bit. It was an unfortunate accident last night in the game. He will have surgery today or tomorrow.

Is it a good sign that Simon Benoit was back on the ice?

Berube: Yeah, and he will skate with us in the morning group again tomorrow with the game group. He will be out there skating with us again.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR