Latest news with #ChrisTanev
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Divisional Focus: Red Wings Look to Snap Maple Leafs' Series Reign
The Red Wings aim to win four crucial divisional games over the Toronto Maple Leafs next season The Red Wings will be battling this upcoming season to end their nine-year playoff drought and one of the biggest things they'll need to do to ensure that they make the postseason is win crucial games. The Atlantic Division is tougher than ever and with only three available spots plus a pair of wild card spots, they need to win these games. One of their key divisional opponents is a big rival in the Toronto Maple Leafs. After losing their last game of the season to the Buds in tragic fashion, the Wings will look to avenge the losses next season. The Red Wings were up 3-1 heading into the third period before the Leafs completed a shocking comeback, headlined by a buzzer beater from defenceman Chris Tanev. Toronto would go on to win the game in overtime, effectively ending Detroit's season with the most bitter of tastes in their mouths. They won just one of their four regular season matchups versus Toronto last year but they may catch a break due to some roster changes. The Maple Leafs are entering the season without their leading point man in winger Mitch Marner after trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights. It begs the question of if it'll be enough as the Maple Leafs have been a perennial contender in the East since drafting superstar centre Auston Matthews in 2016. During that span, Toronto has dominated Detroit with a 22-5-3 record. Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. The Red Wings have been hard-pressed to try and find ways to slow down the budding Maple Leafs as of late but they could have a new solution not yet seen before. Detroit has made some key adds in the offseason with their most notable move being a trade to acquire all-star goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. The addition of Gibson to the lineup gives Detroit potentially their best goaltender in over a decade plus Detroit GM Steve Yzerman also made some veteran adds in James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton and bringing back Patrick Kane. The Detroit-Toronto rivalry stretches back to 1927 with 687 games played between the two clubs. The Maple Leafs also hold the historic advantage in this one with a 303-285-93-6 record all-time versus the Red Wings. Toronto is looking to win their first cup since 1967 while Detroit has been a hockey powerhouse during that stretch with four Stanley Cups. The two sides will reignite their age old rivalry at home on October 11th in a home-and-home that will see them square off once again on October 13th on the road. They will pick things up once again on December 28th and will close out their season series on January 21st. Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Maple Leafs development camp: Awards, observations and questions for Easton Cowan, more
The 2025 Maple Leafs development camp is nearly in the books, and The Athletic was there throughout. Let's take a look at some of the better performances we saw as well as questions, awards and other observations. First, it was Jake Muzzin. Now, 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford is benefiting from the one-on-one tutelage of Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev, whom he has worked with multiple times over the summer at the Leafs' practice facility. Danford's goal is to 'watch what Tanev does, emulate it and build it into my game.' Advertisement 'He is someone I've looked up to (for) the last couple of years. If I could play even close to his level at the NHL, I'd be super lucky,' Danford said. The prospect is trying to focus on making more effective breakout plays and adding more subtle tools to his defensive skill set. Danford will spend nearly all of his summer in Toronto around the Leafs. The Leafs wouldn't put together this plan if they didn't see potential in his future. At development camp, Danford looked like a far more active player than he did last year. He wanted to make more plays with the puck. Danford felt more like a heads-up defender who could change the course of shifts instead of one focused solely on stifling the opposition. The Leafs kept top prospect Easton Cowan off the ice through development camp, pointing to his heavy workload through two straight seasons filled with Memorial Cup runs and time at the world juniors. It's believed Cowan is not suffering from an injury. It might have been disappointing for those who don't regularly watch Cowan. But those who have watched him know how much closer he is to making an NHL impact. Cowan spent this London Knights season focusing on playing within a team structure instead of making daring offensive plays. Cowan is probably a more competent and responsible player than he was last season. He might get a serious look at training camp, when it really matters. 'The next step for Easton is the pro habits we talk about,' Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser said. 'In junior, you can get away with long shifts and lagging or not tracking back pucks. We talk a lot about the things that will translate to being an everyday, impact pro player: cleaning up those areas of the ice, being able to play on the inside and with pace day in and day out, and being physically strong so that when he comes in, he can handle the grind that it is.' Advertisement Throughout the Leafs' 2025 playoffs, the organization invited multiple prospects to Toronto to watch games from the press box and interact with tweeners who themselves are looking to make the jump to the full-time NHL roster this season. It's a healthy attempt for the Leafs to expose prospects to what might be expected of them in the future, all while seeing first-hand the realities of making the jump to professional hockey. Among the prospects invited were defenceman Noah Chadwick, a 2023 sixth-round pick, and forward Hudson Malinoski, a 2023 fifth-round pick. Both players interacted with Leafs staff, including Brad Treliving, during the playoffs. Chadwick is high on the Leafs' list of defence prospects because of his 6-foot-4 frame and calmness with the puck in his own zone. His takeaways from watching Game 2 against the Panthers? 'Breaking it down and seeing the defensive masterclass guys like (Panthers defender Gustav Forsling) and (Leafs' Chris Tanev) put on. It's good gap and good stick work from Forsling, and trusting your feet. And with Tanev, it's the will: Blocking shots, getting in lanes, doing the hard things,' Chadwick said. Chadwick stood out at development camp because of his ability to use his reach to stifle opposition defenders and how clean his first pass was. His tight turns down low require work, and his shot needs to get heavier. But the Leafs love his smarts and his willingness to improve. With a few Marlies defenders leaving the organization (Topi Niemela and Mikko Kokkonen), it sounds like the Marlies want to give Chadwick plenty of runway in his AHL rookie season in 2025-26. 'I want to have a challenge and push my limits,' Chadwick said. As for Malinoski, he looks much faster and more eager to pounce around the goal than he did last season. He can turn from defence to offence remarkably quickly. I'd like to see that translate into a dominant season at Providence College. Advertisement Some players arrive at development camp with something to prove. Even fewer, such as Martins Lavins, arrive knowing exactly who they are and what they're capable of — and it shows. Lavins was a player I couldn't take my eyes off of. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound centre buzzed around the ice with noticeable competitiveness. The puck was a magnet to his stick. Lavins made effective, quick plays and was hell-bent on getting to the net. And there, his shot came off with the kind of force and precision few at development camp had. Lavins is an undrafted 22-year-old Latvian who has two seasons at the University of New Hampshire and two runs with Latvia at the world championships under his belt. Lavins struggled during his transition to the USHL as a junior player, which is likely why he went undrafted. But Lavins is a late bloomer. 'I know the Toronto Maple Leafs have been watching me,' he said confidently. Lavins also caught the eye of well-respected former Leafs U.S.-based scout Chris Roque, who made sure Lavins was invited to the 2024 development camp. Lavins earned another look this year, and he made the most of it. There wasn't a check he didn't finish with effort, and there was no play he gave up on. He's a bright, well-spoken man who seems ready to handle what's next. 'I can be a reliable, two-way forward who will do anything necessary to win,' Lavins said. I smell a professional contract in Lavins' future. Of note, Roque was one of the many former Leafs employees who have since joined Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh. Keep an eye on the Penguins to possibly latch onto Lavins as well. 'My goal is to play in the NHL, and I know it will happen. I know myself, and I know I'll improve. I have a lot to work on, but I know I'll get there,' Lavins said. Something you don't see at every development camp: two players dropping the gloves. Advertisement But that's what 2025 seventh-round pick and noted pugilist Matthew Hlacar and heavy ECHL defender Rhett Parsons (entering the second year of a two-year AHL contract) did during the first on-ice session on Thursday. A battle drill saw players doing just that: battling and making an impression on a staff who doesn't mind the rough stuff. Rhett Parsons & Matthew Hlacar drop the gloves during Leafs development camp @BarDown — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) July 3, 2025 'Love the guy. Love every teammate here,' Parsons said of the tilt. 'But when you're in a battle drill, stuff like that happens. Total respect for him and no hard feeling off the ice.' 'Just two guys going hard and tempers flared,' Hlacar said. 'It happens. It's all good. I talked to him and we're fine.' Sometimes it only takes one moment in a development camp to make an impression. If either of these two has designs on grinding up to a heavyweight role in the NHL down the line, their fight feels like the beginning of something. It's worth noting, though: Hlacar's hands aren't just good for throwing bombs. He had better puck skills than you'd normally see for a seventh-round pick. Sneaky skill. We'll see. The good and the bad in my first live viewing of 2025 second-round pick Tinus Luc Koblar: He's a menace with the puck close to goal and can turn defenders quickly with his skill and nose for the net. He's got a better skating stride than I would have thought for a 6-foot-4 forward. Koblar can sometimes make physical play look easy with his range. And full marks for the effort: Koblar was the last player on the ice after the first on-ice session. 'Sometimes you just wonder how he keeps the puck with him,' Koblar's Leksands teammate Victor Johansson said. 'He's strong in the corners, he tries to flip around players and get them off him. That's what I think people don't see that I see from him.' Advertisement The bad? He could be in for a surprise once he starts playing against men in the SHL this season and possibly in the AHL or NHL down the road. While he's tall, Koblar needs to fill out with plenty of muscle for his body to truly have an impact. He's a gangly young player. Smart defenders might turn off him easily at the pro level. Heavier players might outmuscle him, too. Koblar has plenty of time, though. I see an interesting player developing. Nick Moldenhauer was my guy in 2023. I called him the best player at development camp in 2023, as evidenced by his consistently snarly play and smart, skilled play with the puck. Yet after two seasons at the University of Michigan, the 2022 third-round pick's game has not continued to develop. 'Definitely some ups and downs,' Moldenhauer said of his season. 'But there was a lot to learn.' At development camp, he seemed more reliable defensively. But offensively? He was too timid with the puck. His previous insistence on getting to the net and dictating the tempo of the play was missing. The swagger of a player who seemed to get under the skin of opponents seemed like a distant memory. In short, Moldenhauer looked like a player who scored just 11 goals in 70 games at Michigan. And a player who, crucially, fired at just a 9 percent clip last season. 'I thought there was definitely a lot of positives, although it might not have looked like it,' Moldenhauer said. 'But I think my inner slot shots were great this year. I just wasn't converting.' Development is not linear, and Moldenhauer's collegiate career is far from over. It feels like once he learns how to score in the NCAA, his confidence and his game will shoot back up. 'Every game feels like a playoff game,' the Mississauga-born Moldenhauer said of the NCAA compared to, say, the OHL. 'So it's not like you can take a game off and still get two points and stuff like that, like you could have done in junior hockey, so I think that's probably the biggest difference.' Advertisement The chances are there. They're just not falling. And for a player with his puck skills, he'll need to produce to be signed to a pro deal. 'Sunday pizza.' No, that's not the name of my forthcoming autobiography as the pizza connoisseur on The Athletic's NHL staff. It's the secret to 2024 fourth-round pick Victor Johansson shooting up from 146 pounds when he was drafted last year to 165 pounds this summer. 'I can eat a whole pizza in one sitting. What's that, like eight slices?' he said with a beaming grin. Johansson admits that through most of his career, he was on medication to treat his ADHD. That led to a decreased appetite. Yet he made the decision himself to go off the medication in the hopes of becoming more alert on the ice. 'I felt I was ready to take the next step in my life. School was ending, and I wanted to try it,' Johansson said. 'It was tough at the start with my focus. I took a lot of unnecessary penalties. But I've since started to play really well.' And going off the medication has led to him adding some much-needed size. 'I'll eat everything on the table now,' he said. Johansson came out of his shell with the puck this season. He wanted to bring a more daring approach to his offensive zone play. Yet he can balance that approach, as I saw at development camp. While Johansson needs more pop in his stride, he also played like arguably the most intelligent defence prospect. He waited for the right play to develop and never panicked with the puck. It already feels like he's capable of earning trust from a pro hockey coaching staff. After flirting with the SHL last season, his goal is to transition from Leksands' Under-20 team to the senior league, full-time. We probably need to be talking about Alexander Plesovskikh more. That was my takeaway from day two of development camp, when the 2024 fifth-round pick stood out. The winger's tremendous skating and edge work made him look dynamic in the offensive zone. If he can continue to showcase those puck skills on the rush, he could develop into a dominant offensive player. His finishing needs work, sure. But there's sneaky size and composure in his game. Advertisement It wouldn't surprise me if he has a big year in the Spartak Moscow organization this season. Remember one of Mike Babcock's most on-point, but still unique, compliments delivered to former Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey? For those unfamiliar, the former Leafs head coach lauded the veteran defenceman ahead of the 2018 playoffs because Hainsey 'knows where to stand.' It was a direct way of saying that Hainsey's intelligence led to effective on-ice positioning. And it came to mind because I saw a lot of the same from Luke Haymes, the former Dartmouth College standout who signed a two-year NHL contract in March. The forward lined up against the rush in better spots than his peers. He almost always made effective, but unglamorous, plays like a professional should. It was easy to see a future low-cost fourth-line Leaf this week. 'We think he is a smart, crafty player,' Wickenheiser said. 'Can he play with pace and the other aspects of the physicality while being able to be a defensively reliable forward as well?' My sense was the Leafs had some interest in 6-foot-3 no-nonsense defenceman Owen Conrad heading into the draft. But the rugged Charlottetown Islanders blueliner went undrafted. The next day, he received a call from the Leafs. They wanted him at development camp, and their interest in him as a project remains. Conrad oozes maturity and toughness. He's constantly bumping forwards off pucks. Conrad was more willing than any other defenceman to box forwards out near the goal and use his size to muscle forwards into uncompromising positions. Defensively, Conrad already has shades of a pro game. His skating needs work, but his puck movement is clean and safe. More opportunity higher up the lineup and on the PP could help his offence this season. Advertisement 'I want to prove people wrong for not drafting me in the first place. I want to prove I'm a good player, but I'm not going to be someone I'm not,' Conrad said. I wonder if the Leafs see enough to re-engage with him at next year's draft. For all the talk about 2025 third-round draft pick Tyler Hopkins being a defensive stalwart, his playmaking caught my eye. He's not afraid to send passes that are equal parts decisive and creative. Hopkins knows there's pressure on him to up his offensive output with the Kingston Frontenacs this season. Top line and first power-play unit minutes should see him push 50 assists next year. After being drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023, 6-foot-3 forward Alex Pharand went unsigned. His playmaking skills turned him into a near-point-per-game player with the Sudbury Wolves this season, earning the 20-year-old a Leafs development camp invite. And I'd pencil him in for an AHL contract this offseason: Pharand was a feisty skater with a noticeable motor. He moves well for a big man and shows intelligence off the puck. Pharand constantly gets his stick in the right positions. He has confidence in his game. See Exhibit A: Hey @OHLHockey you might want to file this one as "Goal of the Year" 😉 — Sudbury Wolves (@Sudbury_Wolves) January 8, 2023 Count him as a possible project, with the long-term possibility of becoming a player who can produce regularly at the pro level. The Leafs' skating consultants should put some time aside for 2025 fifth-round pick Harry Nansi and 2024 seventh-round selection Nathan Mayes. Both are obvious competitors who want to throw hits. But both players' skating stride, mechanics and quickness all require serious improvement. (Top photo of Rhett Parsons and Matthew Hlacar fighting: R.J. Johnston / Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Signing Brad Marchand would be another summer W for Maple Leafs' Brad Treliving
Brad Treliving probably wouldn't mind hitting repeat. As the Maple Leafs general manager heads into free agency for the third time in Toronto since he was hired in May 2023, he must look back fondly at his work a year ago and wonder if he can have similar success this week and into the summer. No NHL GM gets every free-agent signing right every year, but when Treliving acquired the rights to defenceman Chris Tanev and signed him to a six-year pact and added goalie Anthony Stolarz on a two-year deal, he gave incoming coach Craig Berube a couple of integral pieces who couldn't have had a greater impact on the Leafs. Tanev set a poised tone for the defence corps, emerging as one the Leafs' most important players, and Stolarz had his best season in the National Hockey League despite missing time because of a knee issue before a concussion knocked him out of the second round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also turned out be a good addition and forwards Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty, signed after attending training camp on a professional tryout, each made physical contributions. As we await word on whether the Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights are able to complete a trade involving the rights to star winger Mitch Marner before free agency opens at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Treliving and his staff will be putting finishing touches on the club's desired list of free agents. After John Tavares signed for four years and an average annual value of $4.38 million US on Friday, the Leafs are approximately $21.3 million under the salary cap. Restricted free agent Matthew Knies reportedly has signed a six-year deal worth $7.75 million per season, which would leave approximately $14 million in the Leafs' bank account. We should remind that if the Leafs were to get centre Nicolas Roy from the Golden Knights in a Marner trade, he has an AAV of $3 million. You can imagine the Leafs would have loved to have got their hands on Sam Bennett, whose post-season play has become the standard for what the majority of NHL teams seek for the playoffs. That's not going to happen, as the 29-year-old Bennett recently signed an eight-year deal with the Panthers that carries an AAV of $8 million. There's no doubt that Bennett would have represented the DNA change that Treliving and Berube know the Leafs must undergo to give themselves a greater chance of breaking through in the playoffs. That brings us to you-know-who, the one veteran free agent who could really give the Leafs a jolt in that area: Brad Marchand. Marchand reportedly is firmly on the Leafs' radar, but the Panthers would like to find a way to keep him and there's the possibility that the 37-year-old could be open to a reunion with the Boston Bruins. Other clubs who figure the winger could help put them over the top in the playoffs are bound to factor into the equation as well. If the Leafs can sign Marchand, then go ahead and do it. We keep in mind that with Bennett gone, and even though Marchand's most productive NHL days are behind him (though he did have 51 points in 71 games last season with Boston and Florida), there likely will be a bidding war for the Nova Scotia native. What will Marchand command on a two- or three-year contract? Somewhere in the range of $6 million to $8 million a season? Here's the catch for the Leafs: If they sign Marchand, there's not an automatic guarantee that they would be headed for a Stanley Cup title. Marchand, who had 20 points in 23 playoff games and was a close second to Bennett in Conn Smythe Trophy voting, undoubtedly would increase those chances. You're not replacing Marner's regular-season points, however, and Treliving, whether he gets Marchand, is going to have to shore up the Leafs' forward depth. There is a talented group of free-agent forwards other than Marchand, but none bring a similar blend of getting under the opponent's skin while finding a way to put the puck in the net. If Marchand doesn't work out for the Leafs, would any of Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser or Patrick Kane fit for the club? How about Mikael Granlund, Jonathan Drouin or Pius Suter? The Marchand option for Toronto is a fascinating one. After continuously helping to put a dagger in the Leafs, first with the Bruins and with the Panthers in May, Marchand long ago became a hated member of the opposition. Marchand is booed at Scotiabank Arena, probably with more passion than any other player in the NHL. Put him in the Leafs' blue and white, however, and we bet those boos would turn on a dime. Marchand would be a fan favourite in Toronto. If Marchand becomes the centrepiece of Treliving's offseason additions, the GM will have successfully hit the repeat button. tkoshan@ X: @koshtorontosun Report: Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies has six-year extension at $7.75 million AAV Maple Leafs, Golden Knights discussing trade for Mitch Marner's rights
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Brad Treliving has the keys to the Maple Leafs. Is he up to the task?
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in Brad Treliving's hands now. Keith Pelley, the president and CEO of MLSE, made that abundantly clear in the aftermath of Brendan Shanahan's dismissal. Pelley said he had 'utmost confidence' in Treliving and planned to work closely with him now that the president's role has (for now) been eliminated. Advertisement Treliving has a lot on his plate this offseason. Is he up to the task? How much responsibility does he bear for the way the Leafs' 2024-25 season went? What can he do better in the future? A thorough review of his record through two seasons as Leafs general manager can help us answer those questions. The good has to begin with the reshaping of the blue line. This was a strength of Treliving's tenure in Calgary and it's continued in Toronto. Chris Tanev is the headliner here. Tanev was every bit as good as the Leafs could have hoped in his first season with the team, the first elite defender the team has had since Jake Muzzin. He and Jake McCabe formed the stingiest defensive pair the Leafs have had in, well, a long time. If there's a lesson from the Tanev signing (a six-year deal last summer), it might be this: An elite skill set is worth paying for. Tanev will be 36 in December. It remains to be seen how the next five years of his contract will age. Even when Tanev declines, the $4.5 million cap hit should remain palatable as the salary cap continues to rise. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Treliving's other consequential signing on the back end last summer, brought stability as well as versatility to the Leafs. Ekman-Larsson played on all three pairs at some point, on both the left and right sides. Ekman-Larsson turns 34 in July. If there's a risk with the commitments that Treliving has made on the back end, it's that this is an older group. In addition to Ekman-Larsson, who has another three years left on the contract he got last July 1, the Leafs GM extended McCabe, who will be 32 in October, on a five-year commitment. Morgan Rielly, who may or may not be back, turned 31 in March. Brandon Carlo, who turns 29 in November, helps to split the difference somewhat. Though Treliving paid a lot to acquire Carlo from Boston at the trade deadline — a first-round pick in 2026, a fourth-round pick this summer and Fraser Minten — Carlo solves a need on the right side for the next two seasons, with a reduced cap hit of $3.48 million. Advertisement Another win for Treliving: betting on Anthony Stolarz with a two-year contract last summer. Stolarz had been a journeyman backup to that point. The Leafs saw more in him and he delivered as a part-time starter, and then won the No. 1 job by the time the postseason rolled around. The Leafs GM made a three-year commitment to Joseph Woll last July 1, a deal that felt rushed at the time but has aged fine. Treliving made low-risk bets on Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz that paid off, particularly in the case of Pacioretty, who was maybe the team's best player against Florida (which is a good thing for the 36-year-old but not so good for the team as a whole). The Leafs GM needs to be even shrewder in the bets he makes at the bottom of the forward group this summer. A lack of meaningful contributions there had a part in the team's downfall against Florida. A much stronger performance from Bobby McMann would help on that front. Though McMann failed to record a goal in his first NHL postseason, he still represents value for the Leafs next season (and a win for the GM) as a middle-six forward making the same cap dollars ($1.35 million) as Ryan Reaves. Craig Berube was Treliving's first coaching hire with the Leafs. It remains to be seen if his way is the right way. The Leafs scored four goals in the last four games of their season and generated the worst quality of offence of any team in the postseason. The head coach bears some responsibility for the team's disastrous performances in games 5 and 7 against the Panthers. There is no denying, however, that Berube got the group to buy into his approach. It wouldn't be surprising to see Treliving build the roster even more in line with Berube's wants and desires this offseason — i.e., bigger, heavier and more competitive. Also wins for the GM: contract extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Advertisement Neither contract is ideal exactly — Matthews' deal was four years, with what was then the highest cap hit in the league ($13.25 million); Nylander for eight years at $11.5 million annually — but the Leafs needed to secure commitments from two of their biggest stars, especially with free agency looming for Mitch Marner and John Tavares. The decision last summer to run it back yet again, which spurred another familiar postseason, ultimately falls on Shanahan. However, Treliving could have more seriously investigated a Marner trade last summer by pushing the player and his agent (and Shanahan) on the possibility. It was evident since at least the 2023-24 season that Marner was no longer enjoying his Toronto experience. Maybe Shanahan (and/or ownership) wasn't letting a trade happen regardless. And maybe Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, was always going to steer him to unrestricted free agency this summer. But by not forcing the issue, the Leafs, from their president and GM on down, will now likely see Marner walk away in free agency for nothing but cap space. The more regrettable window came in 2023, when the Leafs, soon after hiring Treliving, had a month to trade Marner (who had zero trade protection) and didn't. Will Treliving try to convince Marner to stay in the coming weeks or is he, too, ready to move on? And if that's the case, will the Leafs spend the savings wisely or splurge in a summer where mistakes feel almost inevitable? Is a trade the better route for meaningful roster improvement? The Leafs GM faces another thorny situation with Tavares. There's a case to move on from the former captain and a case to keep him. If Treliving decides on the latter, how much hometown value can he score from a player who desperately wants to stay? Will Treliving play hardball in a way the Leafs never did with the stars under Shanahan? Advertisement Where Treliving has gotten into trouble in Toronto is jamming ill-fitting pieces onto the roster at the risk of coming up with nothing. That's how the Leafs ended up with David Kämpf, who played one game in the playoffs, on a bloated four-year contract — which still has two seasons remaining. It's a somewhat similar story with Max Domi, also signed to an overpriced four-year deal last summer. Domi was a backup at centre. The Leafs saw a free-agent market filled with centres (Elias Lindholm, Chandler Stephenson) bound to be overpaid. They decided to steer clear of all that, with a grand plan that had Nylander in the middle (which didn't even make it through training camp). Domi wasn't a solution at centre either, though, which forced Treliving to go shopping for another centre at the deadline. That led, after failed bids for higher-calibre options, to Scott Laughton, who was, like Domi, a quasi-centre who didn't solve the 3C need and produced zero goals and two assists in the playoffs as the 4C. Laughton does have another year left but is somewhat redundant with Kämpf, a potential trade candidate this summer. Lacking centre depth was exposed by the Panthers' top three down the middle in the playoffs. The Leafs paid a huge premium for Laughton. Nikita Grebenkin is a fringy prospect, but the first-round pick in 2027 has some upside now if the Leafs, minus Marner, take a step back or two. A more agile front office might have pivoted from centre, when the best options disappeared, to nab another forward who could score instead. The Leafs needed a lot more from their stars against the Panthers, but those stars needed a lot more help and that falls, in part, on Treliving. Five of the six regulars in the bottom six failed to score even once. Ultimately, the Leafs paid two firsts, a fourth, Minten and Grebenkin for Carlo and Laughton (both with retained salary). Advertisement In contrast, Dallas Stars GM (and GM of the year candidate) Jim Nill dealt one first and one fourth for a pair of rentals, Mikael Granlund, scoring and playing important minutes this spring, and Cody Ceci, averaging almost 22 minutes a game in the playoffs. The challenge of acquiring help in the middle gets no easier this summer when options are thin and prices figure to be out of control. Sam Bennett might be the top non-Tavares option. And while he's been a marvelous playoff performer for the Panthers, he comes with risk, given the likely price tag, as a soon-to-be 29-year-old who has topped out at 51 points in the regular season and thrived in the very-specific Florida ecosystem. The Leafs need at least one top-nine centre and two if they don't want Domi playing there again next season. Treliving has to tread carefully when it comes to (over)paying for intangible qualities, even those of apparent 'winners' such as Bennett. He was burned in his first summer with the Leafs that way, when he sought 'snot' and gave Reaves a three-year contract (which still has one year left and counts $200,000 on the cap even if he's not on the roster), plus one-year deals that only kind of worked for Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. Nor can the Leafs take huge bets on red-flag talent, like Treliving did that same summer when he spent $4.15 million cap dollars on an injury-plagued and declining John Klingberg. He made a similar, if lower-risk bet, on Jani Hakanpää in 2024. One of the GM's biggest priorities will be trying to sign Matthew Knies, who won't turn 23 until October, for as long as he possibly can while keeping an eye on future roster considerations. The Leafs should have rushed to extend Knies last summer. Ultimately, everything is connected for a GM. Not landing a second right-shooting defenceman on top of Tanev last summer — signing another lefty in Ekman-Larsson instead — meant the need to pay a high price for Carlo (a solid fit nonetheless). Not finding a centre who wasn't Nylander (either through free agency or trade), or sticking with Nylander, meant spending that first on Laughton. Advertisement Which is why laying the proper foundation, amid tricky conditions, is so crucial for the Leafs and their GM this summer, not just for the coming season but the ones after that. It's been a so-so start for Treliving as Leafs GM. Not bad. Not great. Somewhere in the middle. Which makes it understandable that Pelley and ownership decided to keep him around. He'll be tested more than ever before in the coming weeks.
National Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Auston Matthews secretive about injuries, while other Maple Leafs open up
With their season done, the Maple Leafs pulled back to the hospital room curtain on several injuries. Article content Article content While captain Auston Matthews steadfastly refused to discuss his lingering upper-body issue — which would've stop ongoing speculation — he did share some details of what derailed his shot at a third Rocket Richard Trophy. Article content He dropped from 69 goals in 81 games to 33 in 67 this past campaign, with just three in 13 post-season appearances. Article content Article content 'It was a very tough season, physically,' the Matthews said Tuesday at the Ford Performance Centre. 'I got injured in training camp, wasn't feeling great for the first month or so and went to (a clinic in) Germany to do all those things to feel better, get to a place where I felt I could manage it better. Article content 'There were good stretches and stretches where I didn't feel very good. It impacted a lot of things,' he said when asked about his shooting. 'I'm confident with some time off, going through my own process and treatment that I'll be back 100% next season.' Article content Article content In other words, no surgery is required. Article content Matthews indicated he doesn't want to give opponents information they could potentially use against him, although the next Leafs game of consequence is five months away. Article content Defenceman Chris Tanev, hit more than any Leaf in playoffs and their lead shot-blocker all season, volunteered he had come through a sterno-clavicular (collarbone) injury in March, but was none the worse for wear when the Senators and Panthers hunted him. Article content Article content Also on Tuesday, goaltender Anthony Stolarz finally was available to discuss what happened in Game 1 against the Panthers that concussed him. Article content The 6-foot-6 Stolarz said it was not caused by Sam Reinhart's hard shot that dislodged his mask, but was indeed former teammate Sam Bennett's elbow to the head that wasn't detected by the officials. Article content 'It was unfortunate, he just caught me in a bad spot,' Stolarz said. 'No malicious intent on Benny's part. Not just him but that entire team plays hard. He obviously felt pretty bad. It's a pretty fast game and s*** is going to happen. About 45 minutes later, I felt the symptoms.' Article content After trying to continue playing, he was ill at the Leafs bench and stretchered to hospital.
