November 8 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

On Peter Budaj:
He’s played really well for us. This is his ninth or 10th start tonight. I mean, his record speaks for itself.

On Devin Setoguchi:
He earned a spot in training camp. He came in on a tryout, had a really good camp, and somebody that the coaches pushed for. Not very often that the coach gets what he wants, but it’s a good story and he’s a guy you want to see do well, and he’s played really well for us. I know he was here last year in training camp, but I think he for sure would be a fitter player and a more focused player than he would’ve been a year ago.

On how the Maple Leafs have changed, even though the Kings don’t see them often:
We don’t. We saw them twice last year, and I think I have a nightmare of the game in here. I still have them. Obviously change [comes from] a number of high picks going back as far as Kadri and Gardiner, were they a year apart? Van Riemsdyk? Go back from that point to the start of it, all the guys, from one-through-nine, those guys are all in their lineup. You know Gardiner was an Anaheim pick, van Riemsdyk’s a Philly pick, they’re all high first rounders on the Leafs, and they’re al making significant contributions to their club, and that’s why they;’re a better club.

On whether he’s surprised by the young players making an impact across the league:
Not really. They come in a lot more prepared in the last seven or eight years than they ever have in terms of being NHL ready, in terms of the whole profile, in terms of lifestyle, in terms of lifestyle, in terms of nutrition, in terms of training. All really talented guys that every team that picked in the [top] 10 in the last three or four years have pretty significant young players in their lineup. That’s what the league’s about.

On Tyler Toffoli doing a lot of good things right, but being stuck on two goals:
He’s stuck on two, but it’s not really a good word. He’s one good game away from being [on pace to be] a 30-goal scorer. Those are young guys. I know we have a lot of new faces on our team from last year, but if you look at Ty, Tanner, those are young guys, so it’s about learning for them, too.

On how Anze Kopitar has adapted to becoming captain:
Fine. [Reporter: What stands out about his leadership qualities?] He’s a great player. Most great players – that’s why. They lead by example. It’s pretty much a staple in the league. Star players are captains.

On whether this is a road trip he looks forward to each season:
Hey, it’s our game. Nice to come back to Canada. We have three in four days here, and four in, what, five-and-a-half? Lots of fun. It’s nice to talk to fans that really understand the game, the media that really understand the game, and then to be able to play teams the first part of the trip that are all out of conference – we don’t see them very often, so you sort of get refreshed, too, on a lot of players.