After a scrimmage day in training camp, head coach Craig Berube discussed William Nylander’s buy-in and leadership qualities, Morgan Rielly’s impressive camp so far, and John Tavares’ decision to take less money to stay in Toronto.
Training Camp Lines – Day 3
Leafs practice lines
Group 2/2Knies – Matthews – Maccelli
Lorentz – Laughton – Robertson
Pezzetta – Kampf – Jarnkrok
Barbolini – Groulx – TverbergRielly – Carlo
Thrun – Mermis
Rifai – Danford
BenningStolarz
Hildeby@TSN_Sports— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) September 20, 2025
What stood out about the scrimmage today?
Berube: I know you take what you take out of those scrimmages, but I thought the intensity was good. The guys were trying to do the right things out there and play the right way. It wasn’t like a summertime shinny hockey game. I was pretty happy with the scrimmage.
Morgan Rielly wasn’t happy with how his season went last year. What are the keys for him to have a bounce-back season?
Berube: If you watch him out there today, his skating is everything. He moved extremely well. He was up in the play. He was up the ice. He looked very confident today.
Does Rielly dropping six pounds over the summer play a role in it?
Berube: I think he prepared this summer extremely well. Whether a guy drops weight, or maybe some guys put weight on — everybody is different — it is just about the preparation and how hard he worked.
What are the challenges with the six exhibition games, given the rules about veteran participation and the desire to get a look at everybody?
Berube: It’s hard. You are not going to get a look at everybody, but we have to put guys in positions in these games if we think they have an opportunity. Those are guys who have earned it, too.
For our veteran guys who have been around a long time, you don’t overuse them, but they also need to get out and play some games, too. It is always monitored that way. Everyone has a few nicks and soreness going on, so that all plays into it.
With our team, we want to try to get those guys in games together and get some chemistry formed.
How do you convince William Nylander to play a north-south game when he kind of goes his own way regardless of who is coaching?
Berube: For me, Willy, for the most part, does play a north-south game.
Yeah, these guys’ brains are wired differently. He is a highly skilled player, and he has always been one. He has always done certain things a certain way. That habit takes time to change.
For me, he bought in. He bought in on it. I believe he is still bought in on it now.
Now, he is always going to be perfect? No. Is he going to try things at times when we don’t want him to?
As I said before, I don’t want to take the stick right out of his hand, either.
What do you hope to see from Nylander coming off a career season? Can he contribute even more than he did?
Berube: He had a great year. We want him to have another great year. Production-wise, we need him to score goals and do the things he does with his skill.
For me, he can take a bigger step in the leadership role. He has been a player on the team for a long time. He has been around these guys. We lost a player, so in my opinion, Willy can step up and take a little bit of a bigger leadership role here.
An assistant captain has left the team. Is it at the coach’s discretion to replace it? If you do, would you consider Nylander in a leadership capacity?
Berube: It is a discussion that Brad (Treliving) and I have about it. We are going to leave the As where they are right now. I don’t think we need a rotation.
It is more of a leadership group here. We have the captain and the two assistants, but we have four or five other guys who could easily wear an A on their jersey. There is no need for that. They can still lead without one. We have that leadership group.
What does more leadership from Nylander look like?
Berube: Stepping up in the dressing room, on the bench… It’s the voice, more than anything, for me. It’s leading by playing the right way — that, for me, is leadership. Taking care of your teammates, helping them out in situations — maybe they need a kick in the ass. That is all leadership, and that is what leadership is about.
What is your dialogue like with John Tavares throughout camp, and how do you lean on him?
Berube: For sure, he is a guy who sees everything. If you talk about leadership, he is a guy who takes care of his teammates and knows what is going on with a lot of the players. He is someone I lean on, for sure, and converse with about this, that, or whatever is going on.
He has a good feel for everything. He sees everything. A lot of the time, people think he is in his own world with what he does, but when he is doing it, he still knows what is going on.
We have a bunch of guys we can lean on and talk to in those types of situations. JT is one of them, for sure.
Tavares took less money to stay in Toronto…
Berube: Less is more, boys.
Does that resonate with his teammates in the room?
Berube: Definitely. He is a Leaf, and he wants to be a Leaf. He wants the opportunity to do something special here with the Leafs.
I expected him to be back, to be honest with you. We are really glad he is back here.
A few sessions into training camp, how are the new offseason additions adapting and fitting into the group?
Berube: Good. Roy and Joshua are up and down guys — big bodies — and they’ve looked good. Roy wasn’t out there today — he is a little knicked up — but I love the size of those guys and the directness that they play with.
They’re “dependables,” as I call them. They’re dependable players you can put out there in key situations. They do the job for you.
I liked Maccelli today. I thought he did some good things out there. We’re seeing if he can form some chemistry with Matthews and Knies. He is a playmaker, and you can see that he sees the ice extremely well.
It is a change for Maccelli, coming here. It is a big change, in my opinion, and it’s probably a pretty good change from how he has played the game and how we want him to play the game. It is going to take him a little time.
Is there a chance Max Domi will be back up and running next week?
Berube: I expect Max to be with the group tomorrow on the ice. We will see, but I expect him to be there tomorrow with the group that isn’t playing in Ottawa.
