Ahead of Thursday’s game against the Red Wings, Craig Berube discussed expectations for Auston Matthews’ goal scoring, Simon Benoit’s return ot the lineup, and the final roster decisions before the end of camp.
Morning Skate Lines – October 2
Leafs lines at morning skate before preseason game vs Detroit:
Knies – Matthews – Domi
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Maccelli – Roy – Joshua
Lorentz – Laughton – CowanRielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – BenoitStolarz, Hildeby & Reimer
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) October 2, 2025
What would you say to fans who are concerned about Auston Matthews getting back to 50 or 60 goal form?
Berube: It was an off year. There were things behind the scenes that we all sort of know about. He wasn’t a fully healthy player, but he fought through it. I thought he played extremely well for what he was going through.
He doesn’t just score goals. He does a lot of things. He penalty kills. He goes up against top lines. He is a great defensive player. And there is his work ethic.
I don’t think we should be overly concerned. He is healthy. He is looking good. He is shooting the puck really well.
It is not all about goals. I do get — he is a goal scorer; everybody looks to him to score goals, and we do need him to score goals — but at the same time, it is a team. It is about winning games. It is about everybody contributing.
What is the message to Morgan Rielly when it comes to running the power play with the four forwards?
Berube: Nothing different than what he has always been told. He is a good power-play player. He has been a good power play guy here for a long time. We went to five forwards last year, and it clicked. It worked, so we stuck with it.
Now, it has changed. He is up top. He needs to establish his shot more than anything. Getting a shot from the top early in the power play does a lot of good. He has to make sure that he is a threat up top to shoot the puck when he has opportunities. He can’t always want to distirbute all of the time. We do need him to move it and distribute it to the flanks at times, but he has to be a shooter.
What does it mean to get a healthy Simon Benoit back in the lineup?
Berube: It’s great. He will get into a game tonight. I want to see him on the right side and see how he looks.
What went into the decision to try Benoit on the right?
Berube: Oliver Ekman-Larsson has some good offensive abilities, right? On the right side, at times… It is more so in the offensive zone, where it is a little tougher to get the puck off the wall and create more offense. That was really the only thing we were looking at — that side of it.
If it doesn’t work, it is an easy switch. He has played the right before. But that is kind of what we’re thinking.
When it comes ot the final games, are you looking to get Anthony Stolarz into one, and maybe James Reimer?
Berube: Stolarz will play tonight for the full 60, and we have one game after that. We will make our decision on what to do with the goaltending when the game comes.
When it comes to the rest of the lineup, is it pretty much the lines you’re looking at for opening night?
Berube: We have extra players, so there are still decisions to make. This is the lineup I went with tonight. This is what I wanted to see, but we have good players not playing tonight. There are jobs up for grabs. That is why we play these games and look at everything. We have to make decisions in the end.
