Date: November 9, 2025
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube)
Ahead of the Maple Leafs’ matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Craig Berube addressed the media, discussing starting Dennis Hildeby, handling Carolina’s forecheck, Nick Robertson’s tenacity, and the second power-play unit’s chemistry.
All quotes are transcribed directly from the media session and lightly edited for clarity and readability.
On Starting Dennis Hildeby
“Stolarz has been obviously overworked. We all know that, and we want to give him a break tonight.”
On Lineup Decisions and Injuries
“We’re going to make some lineup decisions here tonight after warmup. We’ll see on a couple of guys. Laughton won’t be playing tonight.”
On Hildeby’s Performance Vs Boston
“He went in and was calm, big in net, did a good job for us. Not much he could do on the final goal, but other than that, he was covering a lot of the net and doing what we needed him to do. Coming in like that isn’t easy, but he did a good job.”
On Facing Carolina’s Pressure
“They’re hard. You’ve got to move pucks quick. We’ve got to win battles on the walls because of the way they come and the speed they come with. Their D are very aggressive up the ice. You’ve got to win battles on the walls tonight.”
“If we make good plays and get pucks out a lot, they give up odd-man rushes. But it’s going to be a battle. Our D need to move pucks quick, get it going north. As much as we can, let’s make them work in their own zone. That’s a key for me tonight — what we do through the neutral zone, our forecheck, and our O-zone play. We can make them play in their end tonight. They’ve been giving up quite a bit too, so we’ve got to make them work in their end.”
On the Power Play
“They moved the puck around really well all night, and it was nice to get that other unit to score right away.”
On Nick Robertson’s Recent Play
“Tenacious work ethic is everything for him. Every shift. He has the ability to put the puck in the net with his shot, but it’s the work — just being tenacious everywhere around the ice.”
On What Worked for the Second Unit
“Quick puck movement and movement — it was a heads-up play by Max, but also the movement from Robbie going through the box and opening up the backside. That was the key to that goal.”
On Having a Right-Handed Shot at the Net Front
“Yes.”
“Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it’s always nice when you have two righties on a unit, but we’re a little limited there.”
On A Timeline For Scott Laughton
“Not right now. I don’t have one. No.”
Pulse Takeaway
Craig Berube emphasized speed, structure, and discipline against Carolina’s relentless forecheck — highlighting wall battles and puck movement as keys to success. He praised Hildeby’s calmness, Robertson’s work ethic, and the second unit’s power-play spark as positive signs heading into a tough matchup against the Hurricanes.
Quotes from Craig Berube via Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube). Used for analysis and commentary.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
About the Author
