Craig Berube | Practice | October 23, 2025

Craig Berube | Practice | October 23, 2025

Uh why did uh was now the right time to get Matthews and Elander together as part of a bigger line up here? Well, just like we talked about, I don’t think enough consistency, right? You know, and I’ve used Willie with them numerous times this year in different spots. So, um yeah, that’s really the reason. How do you wrestle between changing the lines as frequently as you have and maybe just trying to challenge yourself to be patient with Yeah. like like that? I don’t have much patience. Fair enough. I like results, but really I’ve only changed one player most of the time. Like it I work in pairs, you guys know that, you know, obviously I change the pairs up on this line and the next line, right? Mixing guys up a little bit is not a bad thing all the time. You know, like I said, I like the pair I like working in pairs, but just, you know, like I said, we need more consistency. So that’s what I’m looking for. Do you think a full reset like that can It’s not a full reset, right? Changing the pairs. Can that offer an opportunity to just sort of get back to to full basics of what you’re trying to accomplish in terms of the style of play? It Yeah, it could be. I mean, for sure. I mean, it’s just something new to for him a little bit. Um like you know um yeah I like who knows how it’s going to work out you know I mean it’s not like these guys have never played with each other it’s you know they have Willie and and Matthews have played together before JT and N have played together before you know Wah and and Dakota Joshua have already played Max has played with these guys before the Croc whoever it was you know Um, you know, and I wanted to get Max back in the middle. I just feel like, you know, he moves better there. He’s got more freedom to to skate and do his thing. So, you know, there’s, like I said, all I’m looking for is just consistency in all four lines. How do you think having William there will impact Austin? You think it’ll create more space for him potentially? I think it for sure. And, you know, Austin’s, you know, He’s a shooter and and and Willy’s Will Willie is a great playmaker. You know, I think he we under underestimate his playmaking ability. Um we know he scores goals too, but I think what it does is it’s a transporter puck transporter up the ice. It’s a guy that hangs on the pucks in the offensive zone and moves and gets separation. To me, that’s important because Chris does so many, you know, detailed maybe below the surface things that are so important to your back end. I wonder is it a as simple as an X-man up mentality or is there some fundamental shifts that you as a coaching staff have to make without him in your lineup? Well, no, he affects the game in a very good way for us in, you know, a number of areas. Um, you know, listen, everybody’s got to step up for sure and not just the D, the forwards. like we all we all we all need to play better and and uh going forward here and you deal with injuries, you know, that’s part of the game. You know, we’ve lost good players last year, too, out of the lineup and guys come in and do the job. I, you know, that’s that’s the way you got to look at it. What about Morgan? Did you lose something? Yeah, he’s dealing with something. He’s kind of skated on his own a little bit, went out there. So, I don’t know yet for tomorrow. Did Scott Lton skate on his own this morning or um You weren’t here watching. I didn’t see through the windows there. Yeah, he was he skated yesterday and today. That’s encouraging, right? Yeah. No, he’s doing really good. Like he’s in a good spot right now. So hopefully, you know, we can get him out with us here soon. I’m I’m hoping. Is Mike Ken on the line with one Josh? Yeah, we’ll see. I mean, that’s a possibility. He could be there. I had four guys on a line on two lines. You notice how you were? He didn’t see lot either. I didn’t either. He must have been skating on that third rink over. You had the uh the lines on the side there for the power play reps. What are you kind of looking to see there on the man advantage today? Oh, with the power plays. Oh, just like showing them don’t get outside them lines, you know, let’s get in. Let’s get inside more and shoot. We need, you know, we’re getting a lot we’re getting shots every every power play and and and stuff, but a little bit wide at times. Such it’s more of a dangerous shot inside those dots, I call it, all the time. So, we just put those lines there just to they could see it, you know, they know where they’re at and get more pucks to the net from them inside those dots. That’s important. Morgan, is it something that occurred last game or is it something has been something during this game? Yeah. Looks like you’re having one of those conversations with William that you seem to enjoy before practice. He’s teaching me about power play and where to shoot and this and that. It’s just always good conversation with him. I enjoy those. Yeah. Any good ideas from him today? He’s a smart guy. He knows a lot about the game. So, he uh I like talking to guys about the game. You know, not just Willie, a lot of guys just what their thoughts are, what they’re thinking. You know, these guys play the game. They’re good players. They’ve been in the league a long time, so they know a lot of stuff. Speaking of guys in the league a long time, John is approaching a milestone goal a couple away. What’s it say about him to move up the all-time charts the way he’s been doing? Oh, that’s great. And it’s uh you know I’m I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to coach him and be around him. Uh he’s he’s a great guy and uh what a pro. Like ultimate pro. I mean never takes a day, you know. He just works and does his thing. The his preparation is it’s the same every every day. It’s amazing. He’s so disciplined. He’s the most he might be the most disciplined player I’ve ever been around in terms of that stuff. Can I ask you? Have you ever seen anybody who’s prepped and disciplined matches that? I don’t know. Like I thought Ryan O’Reilly was close. Like when I coached him in St. Louis, he was like one of the best I’ve seen the preparation and and his routine and stuff. Um, never took a day off either. And JT’s probably above beyond that. Like I mean that’s crazy. It’s uh but it’s impressive. It’s impressive. So, I remember I got to a hotel room last year and I had all these bags of groceries in my room and I’m like, “Wow, this is nice. They give me all this food and it was from Whole Foods Market.” So, I’m opening all this stuff up and I’m looking at I’m like, “Who would eat this?” But it was they put it in the wrong room. It was JT stuff. So, I got I made a delivery to them. And ordered a burger after burger fries. Yeah. Yeah.

Head Coach Craig Berube addresses the media following Thursday’s practice.

SUBSCRIBE: https://tml.hockey/3FvgtoG
FOLLOW US
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torontomapleleafs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapleleafs/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs
#Leafs #LeafsForever #TorontoMapleLeafs