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GDT: End of season media availability - Today

As I try and do most years - will attempt to provide real time summaries of all interviews/Q&As today, for those at work and unable to listen/watch.

Predictions:
  • Matthews walks back his 'passengers' comment, and offers some prepared accountability answers that won't feel genuine
  • Shanahan is gone
  • Marner will waffle his way through a bunch of questions, offering nothing
  • Sad Tavares
 
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TheBeastCoast said:
I mostly just want to know what Matthews injury actually was lol
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A very, very small part of me would actually feel better moving forward with AM34, if he actually came out today and revealed some injury.

The alternative would be that he just simply is not a good player in the playoffs, which would be awfully depressing to conclude.
 
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Tak7 said:
A very, very small part of me would actually feel better moving forward with AM34, if he actually came out today and revealed some injury.

The alternative would be that he just simply is not a good player in the playoffs, which would be awfully depressing to conclude.
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Oh I would feel way better if he was playing through a major injury this year lol like you said the alternative is he just sucked this year.
 
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Is it just Bérubé and the players speaking? I feel like the locker cleanouts and then management’s presser were separate last year? I could be wrong though.
 
“A lot of players are going to a lot of injuries” sounds a bit like he’s saying nothing seriously affecting these guys, with the exception of Knies which was obvious.
 
END OF SEASON AVAIL - CRAIG BERUBE:

  • Thought the team made great strides this year and accomplished a lot of things. Really enjoyed working with this group of players this year. Praises their buy-in to the changes to style he wanted to implement
  • Nobody is happy with game 7, but felt they did a lot of good things this year, that he is very proud of.
  • On fan / media pressure - there's pressure everywhere. Doesn't care where you're playing. If that's a game 7 in Columbus, there's pressure to win. only pressure that should be felt, is the pressure that comes from within the locker room for each other.
  • On injuries, including to Matthews and Knies - won't talk about injuries and what's bothering them. There's a lot of guys playing through a lot of things, on every team, not only the Leafs. This time of year, there's a lot of players going through a lot, like ours. That's fine, and that's normal, and you have to battle your way through it and that's all you can do.
  • On the struggles "between the ears/mentally" of this team, and what resources the team is providing players, and his belief on whether they can get over the mental hump - there's a lot of things that go through your mind in these big games. You may not have your A-game in these games, but what you have to rely on is your structure. When he looked at these games and the situations that hurt them, they lost their structure. Very important that they take away the importance of structure in these games. When you don't have your A-game, you can get through these games by maintaining your structure.
  • Adds that the organization has people that can work with players on the mental stuff, and those tools are available to the players.
  • On the Panthers saying they felt they could leverage the pressure against Toronto - doesn't' know how the Panthers could do that. Maybe the Panthers could call him and help him figure out how to do that? says it's a hard market, but a great market. Pressure comes from inside the locker room, and teammates are the most important people.
  • On coaching Marner this season - was great coaching him. Loves the guy. Loves coaching him, his energy, his personality. Hell of a player who does a lot for this team, in a lot of areas of the game. Nothing but good things to say to him.
  • On whether he sensed the players putting pressure on themselves internally - thought his team looked really good, and were ready. Felt that sometimes you think you're ready and prepared, and you kind of don't have it. Not on your toes enough. And that's why he talks about structure again - thinks structure will take care of a lot of that. Says you guys might not know what he's talking about, but in game 7 felt they lost structure in key moments in the second period, and were punished for it, and that was the game.
  • On what he makes of the Panthers comments about the Leafs being killed in the market - a lot of times in these games, the margins are small. If we score on one of our two breakaways in the first, is it a different game? Thinks that's what Maurice was talking about. If we capitalzed on some chances, it might have been different, but we didn't. So that's the way it goes.
  • On Matthew Tkachuk's comments about how good the Leafs may have been if they weren't playing in Toronto - can't answer that.
  • On what's missing here vs what he had in St. Louis when he won the cup - says it's a great question. says he really likes this team, and says it's a vvery good team. To get over that hump, thinks they have to learn from game 7, and that they will learn and be better. Says the 2 teams are constructed very differently, and are 2 very different teams. But says both teams are capable of winning, from a talent, character, and toughness standpoint. Just have to learn how to do things differently in order to get over the hump.
  • Thinks you still need bounces to go your way in these games, because of how tight it is, but adds that sometimes you have to earn your bounces.
  • On not having a great sense of what happened in games 5 and 7, and especially the slow starts to periods - goes back to losing structure, and being made to pay. Highlights Rielly's bad pinch leading to a 2-on-1 for Seth Jones' first goal, and then losing your check for the second goal. Can't word it any differently than that. Lost their structure, and cost them 3 goals.
  • On if he would have done anything differently this season as a whole, as a coach - says they accomplished a lot this year. Says there's always things throughout the season that maybe you could have done differently, or handled differently, But in the end, they won their division, 108 points, lots of good things, all while changing their style and how they did things. Says he's like a player - there's always things he could have done better, or differently, but overall they accomplished a lot.
  • On coaching Matthews this year, and his first year as captain - says it was great coaching him. Says the person is even more important. Great character, and great personality. Thought his leadership got better as the year went along, and thought he and Auston worked really well together with him in that role, and felt he really took over in that role. He's only going to grow as a leader, now that he understands what it takes but the things you have to do as a captain, especially off the ice.
  • On what he plans to tell players heading into exit meetings - thinks every player is different, and will tell them what they need to improve. says he wants them to remember that it hurts right now, and wants them to remember that. Says it takes a lot of pain to win in this league, and the big takeway is to go away in the summer and get tougher mentally and physically, because you'll need it next year.
  • On goalies and D-core coming back next year, and what the team's priority should be - says he won't comment on that. Says that for Treliving to comment on those types of things. Hasn't talked to Brad about it.
  • On if he wants to see the team resign Tavares and Marner - 100%.
 
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