Fixing the top-six forwards via trade is next Treliving goal for post-Marner Leafs
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’′Never a fun day.
That’s how Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving described the departure of a player of the stature of Mitch Marner, who officially became a member of the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday morning in a sign-and-trade.
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Fixing the top-six forwards via trade is next Treliving goal for post-Marner Leafs Back to video
“I would agree that Mitch is going to go down as one of the great Leafs,” Treliving said on Tuesday afternoon after he had a quiet day on the free-agent front. “The statistics (Marner is fifth in franchise scoring) prove it.
“Ultimately, the player has a choice … certainly we approached Mitch to engage him on a contract. As is his right, Mitch and his representative (Darren Ferris) wanted to wait until the year was done, and as it became clearer and clearer to us that potential may not be there, we tried to look at alternatives.
“As was his right and was negotiated, Mitch has a full no-move, so he controlled the process. I don’t know if I’m frustrated (with the way the Marner saga ended). He had the right to control what he wanted to control.”
Treliving wouldn’t discuss contract negotiations, refusing to say if the Leafs offered more than the $12 million average annual value (for eight years) that Marner got. And he would not address speculation that the Leafs would have asked the NHL to investigate the Golden Knights for tampering had Vegas signed Marner on the open market.
For Treliving, getting veteran centre Nicolas Roy in return from the Golden Knights was crucial.
“He was an important player for them,” Treliving said. “He’s a guy that can match up. One thing he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is there’s some sneaky skill with him, he has good hands. He can play in tight, kill penalties. Gives you a right-shot option on the faceoff circle. He can play against good players can play with good players.
“There’s versatility to the player. That’s a broad overview, but we think it can be a real important player for us.
“In a situation where a player (potentially) was walking away this morning for nothing, we were able to recoup a player that fits a need for us. (And) he has a Stanley Cup ring to his name.”
As free agency opened on Canada Day, Treliving netted just one player, forward Michael Pezzetta. The Toronto native will hit anything that moves from his spot on the fourth line, provided, of course, he is in the lineup.
The new Leafs, as of now, include Roy, Pezzetta and winger Matias Maccelli. Even taking into account the trading of Marner, it doesn’t add up to the DNA change that Treliving is seeking.
Treliving has some money in the bank — approximately $5 million under the salary cap — and acknowledged that the free-agent market is looking “thinner and thinner.”
Truth be told, the pool of forwards after Marner was not overly deep. And once players such as Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Jamie Benn and others decided they didn’t need a change of address, the options dropped off.
We give Treliving kudos for being responsible on a day that GMs routinely, and carelessly, throw money around.
“I have a little change in my pocket,” Treliving said. “We would have liked to have used that earlier today.
“But if there’s not the right fit to use it on, we will take the flexibility right now. You certainly want to find players. We’ve got lots of time in front of us before we start the season. We’re certainly going to be looking to add and it gives us some flexibility with the space we have.”
The safe money says any further additions will be made via trade. A glance at the Leafs’ depth chart at forward reveals a bit of a glut in the bottom six, and that’s not including restricted free agent Nick Robertson.
The GM didn’t shy away from identifying his target for the remainder of the off-season. With Marner gone, it’s not much of a surprise.
“The top part of our lineup, the top six of our lineup, is the area (of concentration),” Treliving said. “We’ll see how things play out from here.
“Our job is to look to how we address this roster, concerns that we have. When I say concerns, Mitch was a top-six forward and we haven’t replaced that hole.
“We were able to get some good work done leading up to today. Our focus is (on) moving forward.”
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