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

After Tuesday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed the status of his injured players, the upcoming road trip, the play of Simon Benoit this season, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s strong start to the campaign.

Practice Lines – Nov. 25

“Knies, Matthews, and Roy all practiced today, and they looked good. They did finish practice, but we still have to see about tomorrow. That is where they’re at. But it is good that they finished practice and went through all the drills. That is where they’re at.”

– Craig Berube

Why did you decide to have Roy, Matthews, and Knies practice separately? 

Berube: Well, they’re out right now, right? I put them on a line together. And I just wanted to see what it would look like, haha.

What is your sense of the group after today?

Berube: It was positive. We had a really good meeting this morning, going over some stuff, what we have to be better at, and what we will be better at. I thought the vibe was good. The guys were good. It was a good, hard practice.

Some of your players have mentioned how much of a calming presence Joseph Woll has been. Have you noticed the benefits of that?

Berube: For sure. He has been solid. It has been very good for our team to get him back in. Just his battle level — he was so pissed off at me for pulling him the other night, but I like that. He wanted to be in there and fight. That’s good.

There aren’t a ton of right-shot forwards in the lineup. What intrigues you about William Nylander on the left?

Berube: Willy was on the right today because I had Cowan on the left, but we often talk about things with Willy. It gives him a different look on the other side. It is the same as on the power play sometimes, coming down his off-side downhill. He just likes to mix it up. I am good with it, if he wants to be on the left or right. It depends on who his linemates are and what is going on, but it is a different look for him, coming from the other side.

What have you made of Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s game this season?

Berube: Pretty solid for us. He has done a lot of good things. He has logged a lot of ice compared to last year with the injuries, but he has done a number of things for us. He is playing his offside again, which we have to ask him to do because of the lineup and the injuries. There is the power play, and a lot of five-on-five minutes.

I love his game the other night against Montreal in the third period, with how physical he was and how hard he played.

You try to take each game as it comes, but is there a message about the approach to the entire road trip?

Berube: For sure. The team discussed it, too. It is one game at a time — you always need to focus on the game at hand and what you are doing — but this trip could put us in a really good spot, in my opinion, compared to where we are at right now. That is the importance.

It is good that we are getting on the road and being together as a group. It is always a different feel when you are all together in hotel rooms, at the rink, and hanging out together all the time. You’re not dealing with family; I know you still have to deal with them, but from afar.

I’ve always found that, when you get on the road in tough times, it helps the team.

Now that you have coached Jake McCabe for a couple of years, what is in his DNA that allows him to play through so much pain?

Berube: He definitely has toughness. That is for sure. We all see that. It is tough to take a puck to the face like that, but fortunately, he is fine. I thought he would have a bubble on, but there is no bubble or anything. He has the toughness. We are very fortunate to have him.

Simon Benoit mentioned that he isn’t thrilled with his game and thinks he is too passive right now. What is your sense of the Benoit-McCabe pairing?

Berube: Right now, we use them as a shutdown pair a lot of the time.

One, Benny has to be physical. He has to be aggressive. That is where he disrupts the other team, right? It is about being a little more on his toes and being strong and hard with the puck. He doesn’t have to make great plays. He just has to make the easy play and the right play. That’s what I see.

What is the biggest challenge the Blue Jackets present, having played them twice recently?

Berube: They have some good offense over there, obviously. Fantilli has his way with us, it seems like, in every game that we play against him. He is a hell of a player. They have some high-end, young players who are good players.

I thought we played a pretty good, solid hockey game against them last time. Even in Columbus, the goals we gave them were self-inflicted. I thought we had some really good things going on against them.

But they are a challenge. Obviously, on the backend, they have Weresnki, and their goalie is playing well right now. It is going to be a tough game — like all of them.

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