Photo credit: Screenshot X
Michael Pezzetta is back in, and Craig Berube didn’t make this one hard to read.
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t dressing Pezzetta for finesse.
They’re dressing him because this game against the Anaheim Ducks has been boiling since Radko Gudas took out Auston Matthews in the last meeting.
That hit changed everything. Matthews is done for the season, and now the Leafs are coming into this one with a winger whose job description can turn physical in a hurry.
Pezzetta has already shown that side in big moments this season. He’s an AHL call-up, but he hasn’t played like a passenger when the temperature rises.
This is why the move stands out. On a night loaded with emotion, Berube is inserting a player who’s willing to step in fast and make the game uncomfortable.
During their last meeting, Pezzetta was inserted into the lineup as well, and played a total of 3 minutes on the ice throughout the entire game, and received a fighting major.
More penalty minutes than ice time is the usual quota for him.
And around this team, nobody is going to pretend that Gudas won’t be front of mind at puck drop.
The stretch line at practice added another layer. Simon Benoit, listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, led that part of the skate and looked like a player fully locked into the mood of the night.
The Leafs look ready for a response
Benoit doesn’t need much buildup in a game like this. He plays a heavy style on the blue line, closes space fast, and has the kind of frame that makes every scrum feel bigger.
That matters because the Leafs may not want this to fall on one player alone. Pezzetta is the obvious first name, but Benoit also looks like somebody ready to back up the message.
Berube’s part in this is the real story. Coaches set the tone with their lineup cards, and this one reads like a warning shot before the opening faceoff.
The Leafs could have gone lighter. They could have leaned toward skill and called it a normal Monday in late March. They didn’t.
They went with edge, memory, and pushback. That tells you exactly what they expect this game to become if Gudas starts crossing lines again.
It also tells you the locker room hasn’t moved on from what happened to Matthews. Not publicly, maybe. But lineup decisions usually say the quiet part out loud.
So yes, Pezzetta looks like the first man to answer the bell. But if this game spills over, don’t be surprised if Benoit is right there too.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily
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Leafs make Michael Pezzetta move that puts Radko Gudas on notice
Did Craig Berube put Michael Pezzetta in mainly for Radko Gudas ?