Brad Treliving hoped to add another top-six forward to the Leafs roster during the summer to help mitigate the departure of 102-point winger Mitch Marner, but nothing materialized. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not been from a lack of trying,\u201d the general manager said. \u201cThere\u2019s just not a lot of them out there that everybody\u2019s willing to hand over to you, right? So, I think today is no different than yesterday and the day before. It\u2019s going to be tomorrow. You\u2019re always looking to try to improve your team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The search will continue, but Treliving, who still has nearly $2-million in salary cap space available, is satisfied with how he was able to shore up the team\u2019s forward group. Right-shot centre Nicolas Roy came over in the sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, which saw Marner head West. Toronto also acquired wingers Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli in deals with the Vancouver Canucks and Utah Mammoth respectively. <\/p>\n
Treliving vowed to alter the team\u2019s DNA after watching the Leafs get eliminated in a lopsided loss on home ice in Game 7 of the second-round series against the Florida Panthers and, on that front, Craig Berube believes he succeeded. <\/p>\n
\u201cTree did a hell of a job of changing that over the summer, adding these players,\u201d the Leafs coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat excites me is I don\u2019t have to hear \u2018core four\u2019 anymore,\u201d Berube added. \u201cHopefully I don\u2019t have to hear it from you guys the whole season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Leafs dedicated more than half of their salary cap space last season to Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares. The quartet of forwards, often referred to as the core four, have faced plenty of scrutiny for the franchise\u2019s lack of playoff success in this era. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that losing Marner stings, but the Leafs are hoping a more balanced balance sheet will lead to a deeper group on the ice and different results come playoff time. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it\u2019s not replacing 100 points,\u201d Treliving said. \u201cTo me, it was rounding out the roster, and I feel good about it. But the reality is we\u2019ll see, right? We\u2019re going to watch now and see where everybody fits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treliving pointed out that the Leafs can get by with less offence this year if the defensive play continues to improve. With Berube behind the bench, Toronto tied for eighth in goals against per game last season (2.79), which was up from 18th (3.18) in the final year of the Sheldon Keefe era. <\/p>\n
The Leafs are also drilling down on why the remaining core players have struggled to breakthrough at key moments. Toronto lost Game 5 and Game 7 against the Panthers last season on home ice by identical 6-1 scorelines. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of pressure,\u201d Berube said. \u201cWe all know that, but we\u2019ve got to all be able to deal with it better than we did. And it\u2019s something that we obviously talk about, and we\u2019re trying to get better there.\u201d<\/p>\n
LeBrun on Leafs: ‘Unmistakable how light the mood was compared to the past decade’ TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun join Mark Masters to describe the mood around the Leafs as they begin their first training camp in a decade without Mitch Marner and Brendan Shanahan, and GM Brad Treliving segueing from a Connor McDavid question to addressing a potential Anthony Stolarz extension. <\/p>\n
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In a sit-down interview with TSN last month, Marner spoke about how emotional it was when he called Matthews to tell him he was leaving Toronto. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be a friend of all of ours for life,\u201d said Matthews while seated beside Tavares and defenceman Morgan Rielly. \u201cThose are always tough conversations to have, but at the end of the day, you know, he made his decision and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward and we\u2019re moving on … [We] can\u2019t really dwell on the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews and Marner entered the league together during the 2016-17 season and spent much of the last few years as linemates. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Berube identified Max Domi and Maccelli as top candidates to take Marner\u2019s vacated spot on the right side of Toronto\u2019s top line beside Matthews and Matthew Knies. <\/p>\n
Domi is not expected to be a full participant in Thursday\u2019s practice after tweaking a lower-body injury, Treliving revealed. It is not considered to be a serious issue. <\/p>\n
Leafs discuss Marner’s departure, excitement for new additions The Maple Leafs discuss how different will be this season without Mitch Marner on the team, but they’re excited about the new additions to the club and are looking to turn the page on a new chapter. <\/p>\n
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Matthews sustained an upper-body injury at training camp last year and never looked quite like himself while scoring a career-low 33 goals in 67 games. <\/p>\n
\u201cHealth-wise, I\u2019m feeling really good,\u201d assured Matthews, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Wednesday. \u201cI had a good summer, did a lot of things that put me in a position to come into training camp feeling really good, so I\u2019m really happy about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews feeling ‘really good’ health wise heading into training camp Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews updates his health heading into the training camp, and how he’ll manage his workload in an Olympic year. <\/p>\n
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During the interview with TSN last month, Marner opened up about concerns he had about his safety and the safety of his family during his time in Toronto. Marner\u2019s home address was posted on social media after the Leafs lost Game 7 against Florida, which led the family to hire private security. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to hear,\u201d said Tavares. \u201cIt should never come to that point, but I think it\u2019s also the nature of being a professional athlete not just in Toronto, but probably in a lot of places or most places in major sports in North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never want to see a teammate have to go through anything difficult like that, especially, you know, Mitchy being a young father and starting a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tavares, who is also a local product, signed a four-year extension with the Leafs in the summer. Has he experienced anything similar to what Marner did? <\/p>\n
\u201cAnything personal to me, I think I\u2019d rather just keep that personal,\u201d the father of three said. \u201cBut my experiences here playing in Toronto have been phenomenal with our fans, our people in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tavares comments on Marner’s concerns about family’s safety in Toronto upon exit Maple Leafs forward John Tavares explains how difficult it was to hear Mitch Marner’s concerns about his family’s safety in Toronto and explains that you never want to see a teammate go through something like that. <\/p>\n
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Treliving is focused on trying to get goalie Anthony Stolarz signed to a contract extension. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been engaged with Anthony and his representatives,\u201d Treliving confirmed. \u201cNothing to announce today. Well, nothing to announce right now. We\u2019ll see what the day brings. But we\u2019re hopeful to find a good outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is extra urgency to get a deal done because TSN Hockey Inside Chris Johnston reports that Stolarz is unwilling to negotiate once the Leafs open the regular season on Oct. 8. <\/p>\n
Stolarz, who joined the Leafs on a two-year, $5-million deal after lifting the Stanley Cup as the Panthers backup in the 2023-24 season, is due a raise after leading the NHL in save percentage (.926). He earned the No. 1 job to start the playoffs and backstopped the Leafs to a series win against the Ottawa Senators before sustaining a concussion in Game 1 of the second round. <\/p>\n
The 31-year-old also missed significant time with a knee injury during the regular season. Stolarz ended up starting 33 games, which was still a career high. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confident, until proven otherwise, that we can find something that\u2019s going to work and hopefully we can do that in short order,\u201d Treliving said. <\/p>\n
Joseph Woll, 27, also performed well last season giving the Leafs one of the top tandems in the NHL. Woll is entering the first year of a three-year contract this season and the Leafs are eager to maintain their 1-2 punch in between the pipes. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey support each other well,\u201d noted Treliving. <\/p>\n
The longtime NHL executive pointed out that it\u2019s more of \u201ca tandem league\u201d these days with the condensed schedule and extensive travel requiring the workload to be shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you need two goaltenders, and we\u2019re fortunate we have two, right?\u201d Treliving said. \u201cWe saw it last year. I think they\u2019re both real solid goaltenders. I\u2019d like to see if we can continue to keep them both here. And, you know, that\u2019s going to be the focus here in the next little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treliving segues from hinted McDavid question to addressing potential Stolarz extension After TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun asks how much attention he’s paying to big name players around the league who haven’t signed a contract extension yet, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving segues from the hinted question about Connor McDavid to addressing a potential extension for Anthony Stolarz. <\/p>\n
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The Leafs are looking for more from Rielly this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cMorgan and I had a real good chat at the end of the year,\u201d Treliving said. \u201cReal honest chat about where his year was at, what I think he\u2019s capable of, what he\u2019s capable of, and I\u2019ll just say it\u2019s something that he took to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rielly recorded 41 points in 82 games last year, which was a drop off from the 58 points he racked up in 72 games the previous season. He lost his spot on the top power play unit and finished a team-worst minus-eight. <\/p>\n
\u201cI did a lot of reflecting over the course of last year and during the offseason and had some healthy but challenging conversations with a number of people and most importantly myself,\u201d Rielly said. \u201cI believe that I did everything I could to be prepared for a great season. And I think that\u2019s the truth for all of our guys.\u201d <\/p>\n
Who’s impressing new Leafs centre Nicolas Roy at the informal skates leading into training camp?<\/p>\n
“Morgan Rielly’s been buzzing, I feel like. I wasn’t there before, I’ve seen him playing against him, but he’s been in really good shape”https:\/\/t.co\/VjOVRzCE7r<\/a><\/p>\n