Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

After Monday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed the addition of Troy Stetcher to the blue line, Philippe Myers’ struggles, Nic Roy’s injury, and the call-up of Jacob Quillan.

What are your first impressions of Troy Stetcher as he’s joined the team?

Berube: Good guy; a solid guy. His character stands out to me, and his effort. I thought he had a really good practice today. He plays hard. As I’ve said, he is a compete guy. He competes on everything and plays a pretty simple game.

What do you think has happened with Philippe Myers’ game after last year? It seems to have taken a drop off.

Berube: I think he came in last year in spots for us when we needed him. He probably got overextended this year a little bit with the injuries. But he definitely hasn’t played the way he played last year. He needs to get his game back in order a little bit. He is capable of doing it — we saw it — but I think it has been a little bit of a long stretch here for him.

With Nic Roy now out with an upper-body injury, what is the key to getting through this next stretch down the middle?

Berube: Jacob Quillan will be up. He doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he is a second-year pro. He brings skating to our team, and he is competitive. He brings some energy.

Listen, I get that we are down a lot of guys, but you have to step up. It is a next-man-up mentality. Go play.

When you have players on the cusp of the NHL vs. the AHL, they always want an opportunity. Now, you have a lot of guys getting an opportunity. Do you need more from that group of players? 

Berube: I get what you are saying, and I think we are getting good play out of these guys. I thought Cowan had a good game in Chicago. Mermis has done a pretty good job for us since he has been in. Now, we have Quillan. They’re definitely energized and want to prove they belong in the NHL. I believe the effort has been there.

It has been a couple of games without a shot on goal for William Nylander. Is there anything he can do to generate a bit more right now?

Berube: He has generated, but I think he is maybe looking to pass a little bit too much at times. He has been passing quite a bit all year, and obviously, he has a lot of assists, but we do need him to shoot. On the power play, he needs to shoot. The power play has been running on his side, so he is looking to make more plays, but he also needs to shoot, too.

What stands out about Nick Robertson’s consistency in this recent stretch?

Berube: He has been working extremely hard. He is more confident than he has ever been, and that is a big part of it. He is getting to the front of the net for some looks. He missed a couple more there last game, where he was right there; he missed the net on one, and the goalie saved the other one. He is getting to the inside.

He has always been a hard worker and a good skater. The little things he is doing are paying off.

How important is the timing of Joseph Woll’s return? Did you see an emotional lift for the group after he returned?

Berube: For sure. They are all excited he is back, and he is excited he is back. He played a good, solid game for us the other night. The timing is really good; Stolarz is out, so Woll comes back, and we need him to play like he did the other night.

What was the focus in practice today?

Berube: A lot of five-on-five stuff, from breakouts coming out of the defensive zone to our forecheck. We just wanted (to work on) that five-on-five play and to go over some stuff with Stecher, so he gets some familiarity with what we are doing at five-on-five.

Were the compete drills about getting the team to play closer to how you want them to play?

Berube: Yeah, to get some competitiveness in practice, for sure. As I said, we did a better job last game of not giving up as much and not spending as much time in our zone. That is a big part of it. You have to work on it, and we do work on it, but we have to continue to work on it and get better at.

What are the team’s energy levels like right now?

Berube: I thought it was a little low early today. Sometimes, after a day off, that can be the case. But I thought it picked up.

Practice Lines – Nov. 17

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR