Date: November 4, 2025
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube)
Following Tuesday’s practice, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke about sustaining effort for a full 60 minutes, the impact of depth players like Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton, Auston Matthews’ leadership, ongoing power-play tweaks, and internal competition up front as the team gets healthy.
For more Leafs coverage, visit the Toronto Maple Leafs page on Toronto Sports Pulse.
On Building Consistency and Mindset
“You just keep battling and keep working at it — show video, talk to players, talk to the team, work on it in practice. It’s mental when you can do it half the time and then the other half you don’t. It’s just a mindset. We need to do it for 60 minutes.”
On Whether the Comeback Win Can Spark the Group
“Yeah, sure. It can for sure. It was a good comeback by our guys — no quit, which is great to see. It was great to see the big guys take it and go get it done.”
On the Mood After the Win
“For sure, with a win. I’ll never complain about a win too much.”
On Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton
“They bring energy. They play with energy and a straightforward, simple game. They do a lot of the dirty work for us. The energy is good with those guys — they can change the momentum of a game when it’s not going right.”
On Auston Matthews’ Leadership
“I thought him and Willie went out in the third and just took control of the game. That’s great leadership from those two guys. It’s good to see — but we need more of it.”
On Still Teaching Mindset to a Veteran Group
“Yeah, I guess frustration is a good word, but my job is to try to get the best out of these guys and the team. We still aren’t where we need to be — we all know that. But we’re working on it and will continue to work on it.”
On Managing a Crowded Forward Group
“Competition’s good. Lorentz and Laughton could be good to go tomorrow, which is great. It’s decisions we have to make night in and night out with the lineup. Nobody wants to sit out — they all want to play — but that’s not going to happen. Everybody’s still important. That’s the message.”
On Scott Laughton’s Recovery
“He’s great — a great locker-room guy, great character. Works extremely hard every day. I think our locker room really misses him. He’s a real good glue guy.”
On Resting Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz
“Just maintenance for both of those guys. I expect them both good to go tomorrow.”
On Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s Power-Play Role
“It’s just a different look. He’s run power plays in the past on different teams. We’re trying to get something that works — some stability. We did it last year too, and eventually we got it to work. We’ll keep banging away at it to get it to work.”
On What He Wants from Mitchell Marner
“He’s done some good things, obviously, but there’s little things in his game he can be better at — things I discussed with him yesterday. There’s more we want out of him, and he’s capable of giving more. I don’t ask guys to do things they’re not capable of — this guy’s capable of more than he’s doing, and that’s the goal we’re trying to get to.”
Pulse Takeaway
Berube emphasized mindset and consistency as ongoing challenges, noting that veteran or not, the team must play its game for 60 minutes. He praised Lorentz and Laughton’s energy, Matthews and Nylander’s leadership, and reiterated confidence in Ekman-Larsson’s power-play presence. With competition rising among healthy forwards, the Leafs’ depth is becoming both a strength and a daily decision point.
Quotes from Craig Berube via Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube). Used for analysis and commentary.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.