TORONTO — Brad Treliving is feeling more comfortable in Year 2 as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs — or at least as comfortable as one can ever feel in one of the most pressure-packed jobs in pro sports.
His imprints are now visible throughout the storied franchise — his vision for how he wants his team.
That was clear with his first Leafs head coaching hire. With each passing day, the 2024-25 Maple Leafs are further taking on the personality of Craig Berube. It’s a transformation.
“I think so,” Treliving told The Athletic on Friday. “I do think at the end of the day, teams do take on the personality of their coach, right? One of the things we talked about a lot during the summer is building the identity of our team. We both think that’s really important
“It takes time. There’s some things we wanted to change and sometimes changing some habits takes a bit of time. But … I’ve been real proud of how the group is playing.”
Treliving quickly added that any transformation didn’t mean an attempt to “take any offense out of our group.”
“That’s certainly not the case. We’re not trying to say, ‘Don’t score.’ But we need to have a foundation of checking. And we need to have a foundation of really valuing the blue paint on both sides and being good around both nets.
“There is a focus making sure that our goals against is better, that we’re limiting chances, that we’re checking better. Because ultimately, that’s winning hockey.”
More bluntly, it’s the formula for winning hockey at playoff time. The Florida Panthers last season and the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago had big-time talent. But they were also willing to gouge your eyes out if it meant winning a puck battle.
Not that he’s getting that far ahead of himself.
“We’re not looking ahead at all,” Treliving said. “Whether it’s November, or January, or April, May, June, there’s a way winning hockey is played. You can get away with certain things during the regular season, but when things get important, whether the ice shrinks, there’s no space, you’ve got to be able to operate in that.”
The Leafs have shrunk at playoff time on so many occasions that it’s not as much a new identity trying to be instilled as an entirely new DNA.
TSN’s Overdrive co-host Bryan Hayes said it best this past week, cautioning that however well the Leafs are playing right now (12-6-2, vying for first place in the Atlantic despite injuries). Stanley Cups aren’t awarded in November.
Skepticism remains. But what we are seeing right now is a team trying to change its colors.
“You look at Florida, how they came off their Presidents’ Trophy year, there was a change in how they played,” Treliving points out.
Big time. Panthers GM Bill Zito dropped a grenade on his team after it led the league with 337 goals in 2021-22, changing coaches and style. And out of that came your 2023 Cup finalists and 2024 Cup champions.
“You’ve got to be careful of focusing on who won last year and what they did,” Treliving said. “The bigger picture is what is successful when it’s important hasn’t really changed (in the NHL) in the last little while. And I don’t see it changing moving forward.
“Yes, you need skill. Yes, you need talent. Yes, you need to create offense. One hundred percent. And we believe in that. But you have to be able to check. If you can’t check … you can’t score your way out of problems. It just doesn’t work. And our guys are embracing that.”
The question, obviously, is whether the Leafs have the type of personnel to make a Panthers-like metamorphosis.
To that end, no signing last summer was more emblematic of what the Leafs are trying to become than Chris Tanev.
The man would eat a puck to stop an opposing scoring chance. And call it lunch. And he’s got the hockey IQ to match that courage.
Treliving had him in Calgary when he was Flames GM, tried to trade for him ahead of the deadline last winter and finally got him July 1.
And he’s been one of the Leafs’ most impressive players through the opening quarter of the season.
“I think he’s elite,” Treliving said. “He’s got an elite checking game. He’s an elite, shutdown defenseman who defends against top people. Obviously he’s an elite penalty killer. And it’s not just his checking game. He touches a lot of parts of the game. …
“What never gets talked about with him, and again I think he’s elite at it, is his ability to get you out of your zone. Sometimes they’re subtle little puck pays. But his ability to break you out and stabilize partners that he’s played with, it’s elite. He’s one of those guys that just make you win.”
The revamped blue line also includes a better-than-advertised Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Treliving knew him from his time in Arizona as AGM. And overall, the group is deeper and bigger than it’s been. All by design.
Throw in the clever signing of goalie Anthony Stolarz, and it looks like quite the offseason for Treliving.
“Brad knew what they were looking for and he followed the game plan to a T,” two-time reigning GM of the Year Jim Nill said Saturday. “His experience and connections in the league came up big. And the players he picked up, he had great connections with. So he knew what he was getting.”
The goaltending is vastly improved from a year ago.
The late bloomer Stolarz, 30, has a .927 save percentage and 5.7 goals saved above expected, via MoneyPuck. And Joseph Woll is coming on with a .922 save percentage, shaking off an early-season injury.
“We think he’s got all the makings to be a really good goalie,” Treliving said of Woll, 26. “The one box he hasn’t checked is experience and, yes, he’s had issues with injuries. But sometimes that happens. But we needed another goaltender.”
A number of teams were looking to steal Stolarz away from the Panthers, who needed to open up a spot for Spencer Knight this season.
“Our goaltending department this summer, the guy they felt really strongly about was Anthony,” Treliving said. “Not only him as a goaltender but putting them both together. What you’re going to get is the aggregate.”
Neither goalie has ever played a starter’s workload in the NHL. But the hope was that together it could work.
“We felt there was a chance that combo could be good,” Treliving said. “Knock on wood.”
The Leafs GM also pointed to Dennis Hildeby, Matt Murray and Artur Akhtyamov in the organization.
“There’s some depth there in the organization right now,” he said.
Which brings us to the forward group. All things being equal, it looks like center depth is what Treliving will look to address ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.
He didn’t dispute that but did say the priority in the summer was the blue line and goaltending and that there’s only so much room under the cap to get it all done.
“You also need to see what you have,” Treliving said. “You never want to see injuries like we have now, but part of what it does is that it lets you see what you have as organization depth.”
Fraser Minten scored against Vegas this past Wednesday. Nikita Grebenkin got his first game in with the big club.
GO DEEPER
The Nikita Grebenkin experience is underway for the Maple Leafs
“We want to see what these guys can do. As we get bodies back, we’ll continue to monitor it,” Treliving said. “I don’t think it’s crazy talk to say that’s an area (center depth) that we’ll try to address.
“Trying to find the right fit, trying to find the right player, and then is it better than what you have right now?”
Winger Nick Robertson has one goal in 17 games this season, which makes you wonder where he fits long-term. But the Leafs GM sees positives in the 23-year-old’s game despite the offensive woes.
“You can say he’s struggling because there’s (no) production — the puck hasn’t gone in — but if his game was exactly the same as it was but a few more pucks had gone in, people would say Nick’s playing well. Nick has taken massive steps in his overall game — his checking game, his play away from the puck.
“What we’re talking to him about is, yeah, we want production, we want everybody to score, but make sure you’ve got a backup game so that if it’s not going in for a period of time, what else are you bringing? You still got to contribute. I’ve been impressed. He works like a dog.”
In the meantime, as I said to Treliving, the Leafs are clearly a better team without Auston Matthews in the lineup (6-1-0 without him).
That got a good laugh from the Leafs GM.
No. 34’s absence for an injury the team won’t publicly disclose has been a major storyline, punctuated this past week by a trip to Germany to see a doctor he’s seen before.
Treliving, who declined to disclose the nature of the injury, insists he’s not concerned.
“It’s bugged him for a bit,” he said. “With time, it’ll get behind him. We looked at the schedule. We had like three games over two and a half weeks, so we felt here’s a time where there’s not a volume of games, let’s take the time here.
“As much as it was to go over there to get treatment for what he was dealing with, it was also like you take the car in sometimes because you need to get the oil changed. But when you’re getting the oil changed, let’s rotate the tires, let’s check the brakes, let’s do everything. That’s really what this was. It’s a guy that he’s used in the past. He’s been over there before. We know the individual. We have faith in it.”
There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re looking at his return on the Florida trip (this upcoming week),” Treliving said. “He’ll need a few days on the ice and we’ll see where he’s at.”
With Matthews out, Mitch Marner in particular has been lights out, carrying the team. Treliving and Marner’s camp, led by Darren Ferris, made a pact before the season that they wouldn’t talk publicly about any negotiations concerning the pending unrestricted free agent. And there indeed has not been a gong show to this point.
But you know, I had to try.
Where’s that file at?
“Yeah, no change, we’re not going to comment on it,” said Treliving with a chuckle. “Other than to say, I can’t say enough good things about Mitch Marner. I don’t think Mitch gets enough credit for how good he is. Like, we all see Mitch as an offensive player — and he’s elite with his brain, his skill, his ability to drive play. With Auston out, to me he’s put the team on his back a little bit here.”
Treliving pointed out Marner’s overtime goal from last Saturday. The part that was even more impressive was at the other end, where he broke up the Oilers’ attempt to end the game.
“He’s going against McDavid and Draisaitl on a two-on-one,” Treliving said. “Mitch is a great player. He recognizes — especially in this situation, where we are going through injuries with a lot of offensive players out — he’s got to take on more.
“He’s played sound defensively. He’s made other players better. He’s driven our team. And people don’t see behind the scenes how he brings in the young guys.”
Yeah, but what about the contract?
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Treliving said with a chuckle again, enjoying the effort at least. “Everybody knows what I think of Mitch. Those things will get dealt with at the right time. But he’s playing as well as anyone in the league right now, in my opinion.”
Brad Treliving isn’t ready to comment on contracts. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
John Tavares also needs a new contract. And again, Treliving wouldn’t comment on that. We know there’s been ongoing dialogue with the former captain.
“He’s had a terrific start to the year,” Treliving said. “He’s handled everything so well. I know a lot was made of the captaincy stuff. He’s handled it exactly the way I thought he would. He hasn’t changed. I said to him at the time that I thought this would be a good thing for him, because it wasn’t going to change who he is. He’s a huge part of our leadership group. He’s a huge part of not only what we do on the ice but how we prepare.
“Everybody talks about the buy-in, the coach can give the message but it’s how it gets received. John’s a big part of that, making sure when the coaches are out of the room that the message is sinking in. And then just his play has been terrific. On the contract side, we’ll leave that to be handled quietly and at the appropriate time.”
And finally, 18 months after he was named Leafs GM, I asked Treliving what he knew now that maybe he didn’t appreciate the day he took the job.
“Oooh, that’s a good question,” Treliving said. “I’ve done the (GM) job for a while, but this is a different animal. I felt last year like I was on the treadmill. I’ve said it before, when I came in there was just a lot going on, right?
“It just feels more now like you’re more comfortable with the people here. We’ve been able to add some people to fill out our group. You’re just more comfortable in the rhythm of the job.”
As far as the market here itself?
“I had expectations of what it would be. It’s probably surpassed that,” Treliving said. “There’s nothing like it. It’s the passion that the market brings, the pressure, the expectations; all that stuff, you love it.
“It’s a special place. There’s an intensity every day that you feel. That’s why you’re in the business. It’s been everything I thought it would be and more.”
(Top photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
