Craig Berube on expectations for Matias Maccelli after a healthy scratch: “This guy is capable of doing more than he’s doing”

Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

After Tuesday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed Matias Maccelli’s start to the season, OEL taking over the top power-play QB role, and the logjam at the forward position. 

Practice Lines – Nov. 4

Lines at Leafs practice

Knies – Matthews – Nylander
Robertson – Tavares – McMann
Joshua – Roy – Maccelli
Domi – Laughton – Lorentz
Cowan, Blais, Jarnkrok

Mermis – Rielly
Benoit – McCabe
Ekman-Larsson – Myers

Primeau
Woll

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— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 4, 2025

What are you hoping Oliver Ekman-Larsson can bring to the top power-play unit?

Berube: It’s just a different look. He has run the power play in the past for different teams. We are just trying to get something that works here; we’re trying to find some stability. We did it last year, too, trying to get it to work. Eventually, we did. We are going to keep banging away at it to get it to work.

What are you looking for from Matias Maccelli going forward?

Berube: Well, he has done some good things, obviously. There are little things in his game that he can be better at, which I discussed with him yesterday. I’ll keep it between us, but there are some things where we want more out of him.

He is capable of giving more. I don’t go to people or players and say, “I want you to do this, this, and this,” if they’re not capable of doing it. This guy is capable of doing more than he is doing. That’s the goal we’re trying to get to.

What is the key to getting the team to find the consistency level you’re looking for over 60 minutes?

Berube: You just keep battling and working at it, show video, talk to the players, talk to the team, and work on it in practice. It is mental when you can do it half of the time, and then in the other half, you don’t do it. It’s just a mindset. We need to do it for 60 minutes.

Can the third period help in terms of seeing the pucks go in and helping instill the mindset of what’s required?

Berube: For sure, it can. It was a good comeback by our guys. There was no quit, which was great to see. It was great to see the big guys take it and go get it done.

Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton were a good pairing for you in camp. What are you expecting from them as they reunite now?

Berube: They bring energy, right? They play with energy and play a straightforward, simple game. They do a lot of the dirty work for us out there. The energy is good with those guys; they bring a lot of energy to our team, which is good and important. They penalty kill, and they can change the momentum of a game. When it is not going well, these guys can go out and change the momentum of a game.

Auston Matthews spoke to the team after the win. What stood out about his leadership on Monday night?

Berube: I thought he and Willy went out in the third and just took control of the game. That is great leadership by those two guys, which is good to see. We need more of it.

You won’t play your best for all 82 games, but is it frustrating that even though this is a veteran team, you still have to work on mindset and mentality?

Berube: I guess frustration is a good word, but I don’t care if it is a young team or an old team. I don’t really look at it that way. My job is to try to get the best out of these guys and the best out of the team. That is what I continue to try to do daily. We still aren’t where we need to be. We all know that, but we are working on it and continuing to work on it.

There are 15 healthy forwards now.

Berube: Yeah, it’s tricky! There is competition, and a lot of guys. Lorentz and Laughton could be good to go tomorrow, which is great. There are decisions to make night in and night out with the lineup. It is never easy. No one wants to sit out. They all want to play all the time, but the reality is that it is not going to happen.

In saying that, everybody is still important, and they all have to understand that. There are going to be games where certain guys don’t play, and there are different reasons why, but we still need everybody. That is the message from me.

How has Scott Laughton handled his comeback process?

Berube: He is great. He is a great locker room guy and a great character. He works extremely hard every day. I think our locker room really misses him; I really do. He is a really good glue guy.

What kept Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz out of practice today?

Berube: Just maintenance more than anything. I expect them both to play tomorrow.