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

In Los Angeles on Friday, head coach Craig Berube discussed OEL’s status for Saturday’s game, facing off against Scott Laughton as a member of the Kings, and the impressive career of Kings captain Anze Kopitar.

What is Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s status? Are there any other lineup changes for Saturday night?

Berube: He is probably doubtful for Saturday night. I think it will take a couple of days as of right now.

We have a couple of decisions to make at game time with a couple of banged-up guys. We’ll see if they’re good to go.

What will it be like for the players to see Scott Laughton in a Kings jersey?

Berube: They’ll be excited, and Scotty will be excited, too. He was a guy whom the guys really came to like a lot. He is that type of person in the locker room and on the ice with what he brings every night.

I know he liked Toronto, too. He liked being there. I am sure they’ll get together for whatever they do — beers, or a little food — and enjoy some time together. He was a very well-liked guy, Laughts, and we miss him.

How would you describe your relationship with Laughton? What was it like working with him?

Berube: It was great. He was a guy who I’d kind of bust his balls a little bit every day. We’d go back and forth at each other. Laughts and I go back to the Philly days, too.

He has such a great personality and love for the game. He shows up every day with the same attitude. People are attracted to him.

A few of the players were saying, knowing he is an unrestricted free agent, they would welcome him back to Toronto. Could you see him coming back?

Berube: Oh yeah, for sure. I could see it, for sure. He really liked it in Toronto. He is from around there, too. That was a bit of a dream for him to go back home and play. I could see him going back there, for sure.

Can you speak to Anze Kopitar’s career, now that you’re facing him for the last time on Saturday night? What comes to mind when you think of Kopitar?

Berube: A lot. More than anything, it’s consistency. He has been such a consistent player in how he plays the game. It’s never changed. Two-way centerman. He was fortunate enough to be on two Stanley Cup-winning teams here and has been a great LA King. Great player in the National Hockey League for a long time.

Do you think Kopitar is still underrated? If so, why?

Berube: I think it’s because he’s not a flashy player. He is a big centerman who gets up and down the ice and also produces offensively, but he is a great defensive player. He was always the guy out there against top lines every night, shutting them down, doing the job defensively, and taking defensive-zone faceoffs. He managed to create offense out of that, too.

It’s like Bergeron in Boston. Similar type of player. There are not a lot of those types of guys, to be honest with you, who do all of that work in the defensive zone, take d-zone faceoffs, and yet, they’re leading their team in points at the end of the year. They’re great players to have on your team, and they’re guys you win with.

Do you think Kopitar would be a bigger star if he played in a more traditional hockey market?

Berube: He could be, for sure, if you’re talking in the east somewhere. Sometimes, you get a little lost out here in the West. No doubt. It’s a good and fair question. If he is playing in Toronto, Montreal, New York, or somewhere like that, he’d probably be a lot more appreciated and noticed.

Troy Stecher on Scott Laughton

Stecher: He was a very unique teammate. I felt very fortunate to play with him, rub shoulders, and see how he conducts himself on a daily basis. With him leaving, I think we’ve lost some of that vocalness in the room and accountability, in a sense.

That’s hard to replace. It’s hard for guys to get out of their comfort zone. It was just so natural for him to speak up and be vocal. In a time of need, he was the guy the guys would kind of look toward.

He was a great leader and hockey player. We definitely miss him on our team.

Practice Lines – Apr. 3

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