On the eve of the new season, Craig Berube discussed the addition of Sammy Blais to the roster, the plan for Easton Cowan, and the differences in this year’s team vs. last.
Practice Lines – October 7
Lines at final Leafs practice before regular season opener
Knies – Matthews – Maccelli
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Joshua – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Roy – Jarnkrok
BlaisMcCabe – Tanev
Rielly – Carlo
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
MyersStolarz
Primeau @TSN_Sports— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2025
You know Sammy Blais quite well. What is your plan for his role going forward?
Berube: Well, we have depth, right? I had Sammy in St. Louis. I really liked the player and the person. He’s physical. He has good puck skills. When I had him in the minors, he scored 30 goals. He has good skills.
When we got Pavel Buchnevich in St. Louis, Sammy went to New York, so that’s how it happened. I am happy to have him back. I look forward to working with him again here.
In the minors, he scored a lot of goals — he has really good hands and a good shot — but in the NHL, sometimes you have to alter your game to stick, be an NHL player, and find what works for you.
I really liked him. He is a heavy, heavy hitter. He hits people hard. He is strong on the forecheck. He has no fear in him. That is how he played for us, and that is what he did for us in St. Louis.
How does the familiarity help you as a coach and help Blais as a player?
Berube: It’s both. He knows what I expect out of him, and I know what I am getting out of him. More than anything, I know what type of player he is and what he brings to our team. He knows what I want. I think it is good that way.
How long do you think it will take Blais to get up to speed and into a game?
Berube: I don’t think it’s about getting up to speed. He has been practicing and in camp. He had a good camp in Montreal, I guess. We have to get him up to date on how we play and our systems — they’ll be different than in Montreal — but I don’t believe it will take that long.
What do you know and like about Cayden Primeau?
Berube: Again, depth is a big thing. He has some experience now in the league. He looked good today in practice; I really liked him in practice. I don’t know a ton about him, but again, we have depth.
What went into the decision with Easton Cowan?
Berube: We have a plan for him. I know you guys talked to Brad (Treliving) about that already. We have a plan for him. That is all I’m going to say about it right now.
Brad Treliving said that if Cowan is going to be here, he wants him to play. Do you foresee opportunities for Easton to play games moving forward?
Berube: Yeah, it can present itself, for sure. He had a good camp. I liked him in camp, and we all liked him in camp. He is a player who will help the Toronto Maple Leafs.
How do you feel about the club heading into the season opener?
Berube: I think we are in a good mindset, for sure. We have had really good practices. The group is really close; they’re right, and they like each other. I’ve liked what I’ve seen, but we have to go play games. We have to perform and execute.
Even after a year on the job, does Toronto-Montreal still get the juices flowing?
Berube: Yeah, it is a great game. It is awesome, whether we’re there or they’re here. It is always an exciting game. Both teams will be fired up tomorrow night. Again, it is about executing, playing the game properly, and playing as a team.
You aren’t a GM who handles the contracts, but what’s it like when a leader like John Tavares takes less to stay with the team?
Berube: It just shows the commitment to the team. He didn’t want to leave Toronto. He loves it here. He has been here for a long time and has been a great player for a long time. He is doing what is best for the team.
You don’t see it a lot; you see it in certain sports from certain players at times, but you don’t see it a lot. It shows a lot of character and the pride he has for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What has Derek Lalonde brought as a new face on the coaching staff?
Berube: Derek is a highly-regarded guy in the league. I’ve had a number of players I know who have played for him and different coaches who worked for him. It really came off positive.
He has a great attitude and is so positive every day, and he’s intelligent. Bringing that positive stuff every day is really important on a coaching staff. During the year, it can get negative at times, and to have a guy who is very upset and positive — and who sees the game a little differently — is very good to have on our staff.
We are really happy to have him.
Regarding the dynamic of this coaching staff working together, can you explain the dynamic you have with Marc Savard?
Berube: Savvy and I go way back. We played together in Calgary. I don’t even know how to explain it. He is just loud and into it. He is fun to be around. We have been friends ever since. I brought him on my staff in St. Louis as a coach.
He was a highly skilled player when he played. He understands the skill sets for the power play and so on, which is important.
He can be loud, but it is fun. He is funny. We go at it hard; he thinks I am back in the ’70s coaching, and he is telling me I have to try new stuff. He is probably not wrong a lot of times, but it is good. I do listen to him, like I listen to all of the coaches and see what they have to say about things. I make a decision and go with it.
Ahead of the new season, what is the key message to the group about getting off on the right foot? What is a key detail that you’re determined to drive home?
Berube: Team. That is the most important thing. It is hard to win in this league, and you can have a lot of talent and still not win. If you don’t perform as a team, and you don’t have everybody working the same, playing the same, and buying into what we want, it is hard to win.
That is what it is all about. We need every guy on our team to buy into the culture and how we want to play the game, understanding that every guy needs to make a sacrifice for the success of the team.
That is the number-one thing for me. If we get that nailed down, we are going to be pretty good.
How is the team different this year?
Berube: I think we have more size in our lineup, adding Roy and Joshua. We added a little skill with Maccelli. He is a skilled player who can make plays and has that dartiness and quickness on the ice.
We got bigger this year, and I think we needed to get bigger. We have a young kid like Easton Cowan pushing to make the team. I think we are probably a little bit deeper this year than we were last year. That’s how I would look at it.
What did you learn from the playoffs last year that can make you and the group better this season?
Berube: We went on the road for two Game 6s and won them — against Ottawa and Florida. That is not easy to do. Those were really good wins to go into those buildings and beat those teams. They were tight games — 2-1, 3-2, or whatever it was.
On the other side of it, the thing that always sits with me is looking at Game 5 and Game 7 at home against Florida. In my mind, that’s something we have to get over. We have to fix that. It is a mental thing and nothing more than that. It is nothing to do with anything else. It’s mental.
