Craig Berube on the impact of Scott Laughton’s injury on Easton Cowan: “I don’t think it changes Easton’s game that much… Easton can play different roles at different times”

After Friday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed Scott Laughton’s injury, David Kampf stepping into the lineup, Matthew Knies’ potential for further growth, and his left-shot options for the right wing up front.

Practice Lines – October 3

Lines at Leafs practice

Knies – Matthews – Domi
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Maccelli – Roy – Joshua
Lorentz – Kampf – Cowan
Pezzetta – Jarnkrok – Robertson

McCabe – Tanev
Rielly – Carlo
Ekman-Larsson – Benoit
Thrun – Myers
Mermis

Stolarz
Hildeby
Reimer@TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/KLdWJ3sKPr

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 3, 2025

How would you describe the hole Scott Laughton’s injury presents?

Berube: It is a tough loss for him and us. It is a bad break. He has had a really good camp. It is tough for everybody.

How would you assess David Kampf’s ability to fill in?

Berube: Well, he is a good NHL player. He has played in the league for a long time. He’s a reliable player.

One of his specialties is the penalty kill. It is a huge part of the game. That is one of the things he excels at, and we’ll need him to do that.

What are the implications for Easton Cowan, knowing the chemistry that was forming with Laughton and Steven Lorentz?

Berube: We’ve liked Easton’s camp a lot. I loved him in practice again today. He was very noticeable out there.

We have to see how it plays out still. With Kampf filling in for Laughton, or whatever it is, I don’t think it changes Easton’s game that much. I think Easton can play different roles for you at different times. I know he is young and still has a lot to learn, but I love his energy and his hound mentality. He has really good puck skills.

Will we see the new Kampf line in Detroit on Saturday?

Berube: Not necessarily. I am not sure, exactly, who I am bringing. I don’t know that yet.

After a career-high 45 goals, how much potential do you see for Nylander to push the bar higher going forward?

Berube: I don’t know. He is good enough to score more goals, but you have to play the game. He has to play the game the right way and play the game the way we want to play.

He had great success doing it last year. We need him to score goals, obviously, but we need him to play the whole rink. It is not just about scoring goals; he needs to be a good player at both ends of the ice.

Coming off of last season, what growth do you think we could see from Matthew Knies as his career starts to take off?

Berube: Last year, I saw a power forward who is a straight-line player, is physical, heavy, strong, and hard to move off the puck, with great hands around the net and speed. He has a lot of tools.

Going forward, I don’t think he needs to change a whole lot in his game. He is really good at what he does. He needs to continue to do those things: play in straight lines, get to the net, score your goals around the net, have good hands in tight, be physical, be a very good penalty killer, and be responsible defensively.

He has a good package. I get that he got paid all of that, and we talk about, “What’s his ceiling?” Just go play the game the right way. Everything else will take care of itself.

How vital is it that Knies can penalty kill among his toolkit?

Berube: It is great. He touches every part of the game for us. He did last year. I don’t see that changing.

He is probably going to grow and become a better power-play guy. A lot of those net-front guys learn little things and start to do different things around the net. They can grow there.

It is the same with his whole game. He is still a young guy who is learning. He does have growth ahead of him yet, in my opinion. But he has to continue to do the same things that earned him success.

There aren’t a lot of right-shot right-wingers on the team. What are you looking for from the options on the right side, in terms of a left shot succeeding on the off-wing?

Berube: I don’t know if you noticed last night, but the way Cowan, playing right side, took pucks off the wall in the defensive zone is a good skill set. It is not an easy play for a lot of people, but he knows how to do it.

In saying that, I have used Domi on right wing, at left wing, and at center. He is a versatile player. Maccelli has played both sides of the ice before. We have some options. Dakota Joshua is the same; he has played right or left.

It is what you’ve got to work with. It is moving parts. We will see what works.

What have you noticed about William Nylander’s camp, heading into the new season?

Berube: Same thing I noticed last year. There is not much difference. We know what Willy can do. When it is time to go, he will be ready to go.