Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube gets honest about "hard to handle" Canadiens D-man

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke to reporters ahead of the team’s game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Berube talked about Habs star rookie Lane Hutson and a potential game plan to nullify the in-form defenseman.

On Saturday, Toronto Sun columnist Terry Koshan posted a quote from Berube on X (formerly Twitter).

"He's an elite player back there. He's hard to handle,” Berube said. “He drives a lot of their offence, and he's so good with the puck, at transporting it up the ice and doing things in the offensive zone that you normally don't see. He's a very elusive player."

The Maple Leafs have two wins and a loss against the Canadiens this season. They look to clinch the season series and extend their lead at the top of the Atlantic Division. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and have 100 points with four games left.

The Canadiens lost 5–2 to the Ottawa Senators on Friday. They will look to seal the final playoff berth in the East with a win on Saturday.

Lane Hutson has been one of the bright sparks of the Habs’ season. He scored six goals and has 58 assists for 64 points this season, the highest in the league among defensemen. He has also emerged as the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy Award for best rookie of the season.

Hutson has shown a marked improvement in performance and production in the latter half of the season. Speaking to reporters after the Habs’ loss on Friday, he did not pull any punches in criticizing his performance.

"Not good enough, just simple. Tough start to the game, obviously, but just not good enough," Hutson said to the reporters.

His self-reflection is likely one of the main reasons for his rapid improvement.

Craig Berube addresses roster limitation for Maple Leafs

During the media availability, Berube addressed that the Maple Leafs roster has only five defensemen due to salary cap constraints.

“Our forwards are going to have to work tonight," Berube said. "I mean, they got to do a good job of helping out. You know, holdups and killing plays in a neutral zone and killing plays out of the offensive zone and not allowing Montreal to gain our zone as much.”

The Maple Leafs were off since Wednesday’s 4–3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, extending their lead at the top of the Atlantic Division to two points, having played a game less than their closest rivals.