After Wednesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed Bobby McMann’s one-game suspension, William Nylander’s four-game scoring slump, juggling his middle-six lines, and Henry Thrun’s likely season debut on Thursday.
What is your reaction to the Bobby McMann one-game suspension, given that you also lost a player to injury in Dakota Mermis?
Berube: To be honest with you, I don’t really know. We lose a guy for probably a month at least, and there was nothing that I’ve heard. [Bobby’s] wasn’t much… I thought it was more him getting bumped. I know you have to be in control of your stick, but I don’t think it is worth a suspension.
Subsequently, Bobby McMann received a match penalty for this slash on Oliver Bjorkstrand 😳 https://t.co/8QAnwAAoGe pic.twitter.com/UyFFWwVSKb
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 9, 2025
With McMann’s suspension, you juggled the middle-six lines.
Berube: Yeah. The Cowan-Tavares-Nylander line has kind of fallen off for me and dried up a little bit. I made a switch there, just to give them a different look.
Leafs lines at practice
Knies – Matthews – Domi
Cowan – Tavares – Robertson
Joshua – Roy – Nylander
Lorentz – Laughton – Jarnkrok
McMann, MaccelliMcCabe – Stecher
Ekman-Larsson – Myers*
Benoit – Thrun
Tanev🛑, Rifai 🛑Hildeby
Akhtyamov*Rielly absent (sick)@TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 10, 2025
What is your sense of William Nylander’s game right now? Four games without a point is pretty rare for him.
Berube: If I had to look at one thing, I would say that he has to get involved and engaged more in the game. He has to work his way through it. That is what I talked to him about today: work your way through it. All players go through it at some point, but if he just works his way through it, he will get out of it quicker.
What are you hoping to see from Nick Robertson in his return to the lineup?
Berube: As I spoke about the other day, I feel his tenacity — his involvement, and engagement — is a big part of his game, as far as getting in on the forecheck, disrupting things, being physical, and using his speed. I felt it dropped off. If he can bring that, good things will happen for him.
With Joseph Woll returning to the ice and Chris Tanev participating in full practice (non-contact jersey), what is your sense of their status?
Berube: [Woll] felt good today. I talked to him after he came off. As I said, it is probably a week from when I told you.
Tanev is getting evaluated today. I’ll know more after today.
What have you learned about Henry Thrun’s game in your short time with him?
Berube: Not a ton. It is more than we all knew what we were getting when we got him. He is a good puck mover. He has offensive abilities. The one good thing: He has been playing on the right side down [with the Marlies], so if he does play on Thursday, it will be on the right side.
Was moving Thrun to the right side with the Marlies an organizational decision, knowing it was the best path for him?
Berube: Not necessarily. It is just where they’re at, too, with injuries and their situation down there.
What are you hoping to see from the power play as the units attempt to turn it around?
Berube: We have to have a simpler approach to it all. The puck needs to move quicker to reset, and then we need to look to get it to the net. That is really where it is at right now. Other good things will happen after you start getting some momentum from that: good touch, shot. We are trying to look for the perfect play too much, and it is not there.
We have to work our way through that, too. It is just execution. Make the play that is available, and make it quickly. If we can get pucks to the net, get them to the net. Over the years, when you talk about the power play, sometimes you overshoot it. I get that, but we are under-shooting it.
Has it become a mental hurdle for the team?
Berube: Definitely. It is like anything else, right? If it stops working, it affects your confidence, and it affects you mentally. It is something you have to work through.
What did you want to accomplish in a rare extra practice day?
Berube: A couple of things. We were out there longer than normal. There is the power play, for sure, but we keep working on our defensive side of things, our defensive zone, coming out of our zone with the puck, and making more plays.
Was the skate at the end always part of the plan?
Berube: It was part of the plan. Give them a pump at the end. The power play ran a little longer than normal, and there was a lot of standing around at the end.
