Craig Berube on the Maple Leafs' 4-3 win to open preseason: "Ben Danford played a good, solid hockey game... Pretty much mistake-free... It was impressive"

"I thought Ben Danford played a good, solid hockey game. It is not a flashy game by any means, but it is just about the first pass, defending well, and playing a hard game. He was pretty much mistake-free. It was impressive. I thought our veteran guys - Kampf and Jarnkrok - did a good job of leading the way and playing the right way. Easton Cowan was good tonight. He played a simple game."

"We know he is a skilled player on the power play and things like that. When he gets an opportunity offensively, he is a good player, but I thought his game management was good tonight. He got pucks behind. He drove the net on the one play - a hard play to the net. That is the stuff we want to see."

Maple Leafs opened the 2025 preseason with a 4-3 win built on strong goaltending, solid team structure, aggressive compete play and blocked shots. Ben Danford delivered steady, mistake-free defense focused on the first pass and physical play. Veterans Kampf and Jarnkrok led by example and played the right way. Easton Cowan showed power-play skill, effective game management, getting pucks behind and driving hard to the net. Nick Robertson worked extremely hard, generated shots and finished with a goal. The team played physically and stuck up for one another.

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