Date: November 9, 2025
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube)
Craig Berube met with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, discussing Chris Tanev’s return to the ice, Brandon Carlo’s assertive play, and the challenge of facing Boston. He also reflected on Zdeno Chara’s Hall of Fame induction and what makes elite defensemen special.
For more Leafs coverage, visit the Toronto Maple Leafs page on Toronto Sports Pulse.
On Chris Tanev’s Timeline
“Just progressing in the right direction, I’d say more than anything. First time on the ice just by himself.”
On Goaltending Tonight
“Hildeby will be a backup tonight.”
On Fraser’s Leadership and Hockey IQ
“Very mature for his age. Very high hockey IQ. Two-way centerman. Really has good instincts with the game, defensive responsibilities, but has offensive upside.”
“He’s a good player.”
On Brandon Carlo’s Game
“I’d say just being more assertive and aggressive more than anything. Our whole D-core is getting harder around our net, being harder in the corners, more physical, and he’s part of that.”
On Laughton’s Penalty Sticking Up for the Goalie
“Yeah, I didn’t mind it at all. He’s that type of guy where he’s going to do what he has to do for his teammate, and I have no problem with it.”
On Laughton’s Voice and Bench Energy
“He’s just got energy — that’s just him. He’s a talkative guy, team guy, good character guy, been around for a long time, understands the game very well. Having him and Lorentz on the bench, I felt like there was just more energy and chatter.”
On the Challenge of the Bruins
“The Bruins have been a certain way for a long time. They’re a hard team. We know it’s going to be a hard game with the Bruins, as it always is. They’re physical, they’ve got size on the back end and up front. Like I said, it’s always a challenge with the Bruins — the game within the game for me.”
“They’ve got talented players — Pastrňák, McAvoy, players like that — but I think it’s more about the identity of the game against the Bruins.”
On Four Strong Periods of Hockey
“I think there’s been a lot of good hockey, but not consistently for 60 minutes. That’s a challenge early in the season. But the last four periods have been some of our best hockey this year — not just the scoring part, but the all-around game of how we want to play. We’ve just got to keep building off that and continue it from the start tonight.”
On Building Off Success
“When you have success and you show the guys, they believe in it more and understand that it’s a good recipe for us to be successful. We’ll need that tonight against this team. We’ve got to play that type of game against the Boston Bruins for sure.”
On Zdeno Chara’s Hall of Fame Induction
“He could do it in a number of different ways. I played with Chara in Long Island for half a year. He was a young kid then, but I could tell he was going to be something special. He wasn’t obviously polished like he became as a player, but just watching him daily — how he went about things on the ice and in the gym, how dedicated he was, how hard he worked, and that size and strength he had.”
“He could impact the game in a lot of ways. He was hard to play against — smothered you with his reach and strength. He could fight, he had the ability to shoot the puck and score from the point. He could control a game. When I think about great defensemen — Lidström, Chara — they all had the ability to control a game, even if they did it differently.”
On Adjusting Against Chara
“For sure. When we played him in the playoffs back in my Philly days, it was always about doing things quick enough and early enough — if you didn’t, he’d kill the play. It was always about doing it a little earlier, a little quicker, putting the puck behind him so he had to turn and go get it.”
“If you tried to be physical and take the body on him, you were probably going to lose that battle. We talked about going through the arms and stick, making it difficult because of his long reach. He’s got such a long stick. That’s how we tried to make it difficult for him. We weren’t very good at it.”
Pulse Takeaway
Craig Berube emphasized the Leafs’ growing consistency, the physical identity they’ll need against Boston, and praised Carlo’s assertiveness and Laughton’s leadership. He also reflected on Zdeno Chara’s dominance, calling him one of the few defensemen who could “control a game.”
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
