The Coach’s Pulse — Craig Berube on Optional Practice & Reset After Road Trip | Toronto Sports Pulse
THE COACH’S PULSE
Craig Berube — Optional Practice, Energy Levels & Defensive Progress After Road Trip
Berube explains why Sunday’s skate was optional after a long road trip, how he wants the team to handle the standings picture, the energy Laughton brings, Dennis Hildeby’s steady play, injury timelines, and why Toronto’s defensive game has taken a step.
On Making Sunday’s Practice Optional
“Just rest after a long road trip. We got back and I felt our energy was pretty low in the game — not so much the first period, but after that it was pretty low. A lot of guys need rest, so we made it optional today.”
On Handling the Standings and Being Lower in the Conference
“I don’t think you focus on that — I don’t anyhow. It’ll take care of itself if we take care of our business. That’s what we’ve got to focus on. You look at where we’re at and you focus on the Tampa Bay game and getting two points. I wouldn’t get caught up in the rest of it.”
On What Stands Out About Laughton’s Play
“He’s got a lot of energy out there. He’s skating well and he’s aggressive, and it’s paying off for him and helping our team on the penalty kill and in a lot of situations. We move him around different lines at times because he provides energy. He’s really on top of things right now with his feet and he’s scoring some goals for us.”
On Tampa Bay as the Next Opponent
“They’ve got great high-end players — we all know that. It’s a hardworking team. They’ve played a certain way for a long time now. Their power play can beat you. It’s a good team and it’s been a good team for a long time.”
On Dennis Hildeby’s Recent Play
“He’s been good. Coming in the other night in Carolina and closing the door for us in that game — he looked very calm and cool in there. I thought last night again he was good. He gave us a chance to win the game.”
On Balancing Opponent Adjustments with Maintaining Identity
“Keep our identity. Keep us playing a certain way. There are certain things on other teams you’ve got to be aware of — players and how they play the game — but overall it’s just playing our game and playing to our identity as much as possible.”
On Anthony Stolarz’s Timeline
“There’s actually not [clarity] right now. He’s still not on the ice, so I’m not sure yet where he’s at. We’ll see. I know he’s getting looked at this week on Wednesday, I believe, so we should know some information after that on where he’s at. He feels good — he’s skating and working hard — but we’ll have to see when he gets looked at on Wednesday.”
On the Latest with Joe Woll
“No, not really [an update]. He’s progressing the right way. Like I said, it’s probably going to be this week.”
On the Team’s Defensive Play at Five-on-Five
“I think we’ve changed a few things and guys are buying into it. We’re killing more plays and we’re more aggressive. We still have some extended shifts in our zone that we want to get rid of, but if you look at the overall big picture lately, it’s been a lot better.”
Pulse Takeaway
With the road trip in the rearview and energy clearly dipping in the Montreal game, Berube used Sunday to give his group a breather — an optional skate instead of a full practice.
His focus remains on process over standings: regaining jump, playing to the Leafs’ identity, and targeting two points against Tampa Bay rather than obsessing over the conference table.
Laughton’s pace and versatility, Hildeby’s calm presence in net, and a more aggressive defensive structure are positives, even as key injuries linger and timelines remain tied to medical
check-ins later in the week.
