These jokes on Perreault began with these comments/questions from the media.
"On Matthieu Perreault, who we spoke to, he was pretty clear that if it was his choice he felt he could have played last night"
"Would he have been considered a healthy scratch?"
I think it's reasonable (and should be no surprise to us fans) that Maurice dodges these types of questions, and for good reason (avoid discussing player injuries). The question about line matching occurred just after that. Sure, he made one more joke about Perreault then, because he was already joking around about Perreault. I just don't read into this the same things you're seeing.
At the end of the interview, when he was asked again about Perreault, he started to say "I'm not saying how close he is", then "he feels he's ready to play" (implying to me, that Maurice might not agree).
Again, to me, all the available evidence points to Maurice not thinking Perreault was ready. This could either mean he thinks Perreault wouldn't have played well, or is at risk of reinjury, or both. It's a decision I can respect.
Anyway, that's how I see it. No problem surixon if you're reading it differently, but I disagree.