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

Ahead of Thursday’s game in Las Vegas, Craig Berube discussed facing off against Mitch Marner for the first time since Marner joined the Golden Knights and the keys to getting back to winning ways after a tough night in Utah.

Does Mitch Marner playing for the other team add any juice to this game?

Berube: For sure, I think it does, but I think we are kind of past all of that with Mitch. But, for sure, it is the same as having Nic Roy on our side, with him coming back and playing against his old team. There is always juice both ways.

Did you ever seriously consider using Marner at center, as Vegas is now?

Berube: We talked about it a few times. With Matthews missing time, there was always a conversation with him. He had no issue with it. He was all ready for it. What I did was just have him practice taking draws every day, in case we did make that switch for a bit.

Did it take a few months to fully adjust to life after Marner for your team?

Berube: He was a guy who touched all parts of the game and had the impact he had on the team and the team game, for sure. Matty and he played together for a long time. There is always an adjustment.

What is the one area you want your team to focus on after the tough game in Utah?

Berube: Getting back to how we have been playing with our game. Our puck play wasn’t very good. Our routes weren’t very good. Mentally, you could tell that we weren’t sharp. I get the physical side of things; we traveled, and it was a hard game in Colorado. I get all of that. But mentally, we weren’t sharp in the game, and it caused us a lot of issues.

When you go through as many injuries as your team has, is it a good thing to have faced the adversity when you did?

Berube: Yeah, it’s adversity, whether it is injuries, or just trying to get to our game and we weren’t “there” yet. It is always good for a team to go through that. You don’t want to go through it — I am not saying that — but when you do go through it… You are going to hit some walls with the schedule and all of the games. It is good to know we can come out of that and play through it.

How encouraging has it been to see Anthony Stolarz back with the team during the road trip?

Berube: It is great. It was a real positive move that he was coming on the trip and has been around the team. He hasn’t been around the team in a long time, per se — in the locker room, on the ice, and that kind of thing. It is very positive that he is here and practicing with us.

John Tavares on his communication with Marner since he left Toronto

Tavares: He reached out when I scored my 500th. I reached out when the Olympic team was announced. Other than that, not really, over the last number of weeks, as the season sets in with your teammates every day.

There is so much focus on that and what you are trying to do, but he has always been a great player to play with and a very close friend. That won’t change, but obviously, tonight, we are competing against each other. Once you get back in the rhythm of a game day, you have to get ready to play and understand what you have to go out there and do as a team.

Mitch Marner on facing the Leafs for the first time as a member of the Golden Knights

Marner: I don’t think I have to look at it as anything different — just another hockey game. I’ll just try to go out and do my thing.

Marner on his relationship with his former teammates:

Marner: I’ve checked in with them throughout the year. I am still very good buddies with a lot of them. I’ve checked in with them to see how they’re doing and how their families are doing. I talked to them over Christmas and the holidays. I got really close to a lot of them there. They’re like brothers. There hasn’t been too much talk about hockey, really.

Marner on his pre-scout of the Leafs:

Marner: They’re a fast team that plays direct. They get up on the rush very well. We have to try to use that to our advantage, maybe, and make sure we are making the smart plays and being above them to try to limit their odd-man chances. They like working the cycle down low and trying to find that little pop play into the middle. We just have to make sure we communicate, talk to one another, and close on them quickly.

Bruce Cassidy on Marner facing his former team

Cassidy: If we go out and play well, the pressure is off him that way.

He was there a long time. I get it. He has lots of friendships over there, I assume. Maybe he has some guys he doesn’t get along with — I don’t know, haha. At the end of the day, he was there for a long time. There is always turnover every year. I’m sure he has close friendships with a lot of those guys, and that can be hard.

I think the guys in the room will be able to walk him through it. Mark Stone went through it with Ottawa. Jack Eichel has gone through it with Buffalo. Alex Peitrangelo may be around, and he did it with St. Louis. There are a lot of guys he can bounce ideas off of.

For me, it is another game where we will use him like we usually do. Hopefully, we get him a few extra shifts here and there because I am sure he is going to be highly motivated.

Sometimes, it goes the other way, where you want to do too much. Hopefully, he goes out and plays his game. He is a great player. And then it is behind him. Before you know it, we are playing our next game.

That is about the best advice I can give him.

Morning Skate Lines – Jan. 15

Note: It was a maintenance morning for Matthew Knies, who will play vs. Vegas.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR