After Tuesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed the emergency call-ups of Luke Haymes and William Villeneuve, John Tavares’ strong finish to the season, and the challenge against Alex Ovechkin on Wednesday.

What is the current outlook for Oliver Ekman-Larsson? He was skating with William Villeneuve today.

Berube: Well, he finished practice, so we will see tomorrow if he is fine. He seemed fine today. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. I had eight defensemen today, so I just put him there because I wasn’t sure if he is going to be available tomorrow.

What is the plan for Luke Haymes and Villeneuve? Should they expect some action?

Berube: I don’t know. I think we are just dealing with some… not injuries, but situations that could keep guys out. It is nice to have them up here to get acclimated to things. If we need them, we’ll get them up here.

What is your initial impression of Luke Haymes?

Berube: He has skill. He seems like an intelligent player to me. I haven’t watched him a ton down there, but he has gotten better and better all year. He plays in all situations down there. I am not sure where he will fit in when he does, but as I said, he has ability and skill. He has a pretty good mind for the game.

What value might there be to getting Haymes and Villeneuve into a game or two before the season’s end? Do you see value in it?

Berube: I always think there is value in getting young guys a game or two up here. I don’t think it hurts. It gives them a taste of the NHL. I don’t see it hurting anything.

John Tavares is finishing the season strongly. He will be 36 by next training camp. How would you assess his ability to continue to play a top-six center role moving forward?

Berube: I think he started off extremely well this year. Obviously, everyone hits a wall at some point, and at his age, that is going to happen to him. But he really knows how to deal with it. He keeps doing what he does, and he knows he will get out of it at some point, which he has. He is back to playing at the level he was at the beginning of the year, in my opinion.

He is the type of guy who has a lot for the game, too, and loves the Leafs. He works his way out of everything. That’s how I view him: He works his way out of things. He just continues to follow his routine day in and day out. Nothing changes. No complaining about this or that. He just comes to work and works his way out of things.

How much contact do you have with Darryl Metcalf and the Leafs‘ hockey research department? How much do you lean on them during the course of the season?

Berube: I do. We get reports every day — not every day, but every game day, on different things: our team, the other team. We are in pretty good contact with them throughout the season.

With Alex Ovechkin coming to town tomorrow, do you have any long-lasting memories of what he can do?

Berube: It is amazing at his age, scoring 30 goals again this year. When I think of him and look at him over the years — and I saw him a lot, being in Philly — he has a real love for the game. He enjoys the game a lot. That is a big part of his success, in my opinion. He goes out there and knows what he can do, and he loves doing it. That sticks out with him.

Practice Lines – Apr. 7

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