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

Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Islanders, Craig Berube discussed Matt Benning entering the lineup, Troy Stecher’s impact, Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s selection to Team Sweden, and William Nylander’s status.

What are your thoughts on Matt Benning making his Leafs debut?

Berube: Yeah, we’ll get him in tonight. Coming into training camp, I thought he had a good camp. He is a competitor. He has good experience in the NHL, with close to 500 games in the league. He’ll go in for Myers tonight.

He is a first-pass guy. The experience helps a lot. He moves well, and he competes. Coming into camp, he really pushed for a spot.

What do you like about Troy Stecher next to Morgan Rielly?

Berube: He has played with McCabe for quite some time, and we’re just moving it around. Myers is out tonight, so we’ll put Stecher with Mo, and Benning with Benoit.

I think [Stecher] is a good fit no matter what. His game doesn’t change, and that is important. He can jump in there and play a different role, almost, because his game is not going to change. He is simple, competes, skates, works, and makes the first pass.

With Morgan, he can do his thing and get up the ice. Stech likes to get going up the ice, too, so we can’t have both of them going at the same time. There has to be some communication on that.

Do you remember what you thought you were getting when the team claimed Stecher off waivers, and how does it compare to how important he has become here?

Berube: To be honest with you, I hadn’t seen him a ton, right? But the reports were that you were getting a great person and a great teammate, and that is true. This guy is legit. What I didn’t know about him is that he brings a ton of gamesmanship in the room and on the ice, which I really like. He has some snarl to him, and he is not afraid to speak up, whether it is on the ice to the other team or to our team. I really like what he brings.

Auston Matthews and William Nylander were locks for the Olympics, but what was it like to see Oliver Ekman-Larsson rewarded with a spot on Team Sweden?

Berube: Very happy for Oliver. He has played really well this year, obviously. We are all extremely happy for him to get the opportunity to play in the Olympics. I believe he played in one before, but it has been a while. OEL has done everything for us this year on the backend — a very selfless player who is playing his offside for most of the season. Well deserved. We’re happy for him.

Given the rigors of an NHL season, how has Easton Cowan handled the workload? Do you think he’s playing at the level you need him at?

Berube: I do. I really liked his last couple of games, and I liked that line (with Nic Roy and Nick Robertson). They created and worked together. They’re moving and doing a lot of good things.

There are always things to correct with Easton, among other players, but to me, he has a really good hockey IQ, and he figures it out pretty quickly as to what he needs to do to be successful right now. He is doing a good job of managing the game. For young kids coming out of college or junior, it is always about managing the game, right? To me, he is doing a pretty good job of managing the game.

Is there any update on how Nylander is progressing?

Berube: He stayed back (in Toronto). We’ll see here. I think he is trending in the right direction. My hope is that maybe he is back with us on Monday, on the ice practicing.

Was it the plan to give Joseph Woll the start no matter what, or was it important to get him right back into the net after the pull on Thursday?

Berube: No, the plan was he would play here anyhow.

Morning Skate Lines – Jan. 3

 

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