The Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues skated at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
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Before taking questions at his annual quarter-mark-of-the-season media session, Brad Treliving took responsibility.
“We’re not where we want to be or where we envision to be,” the Leafs general manager said in an opening statement. “Obviously, we’ve underperformed to this point, and I take full responsibility. I’m in charge of the hockey department. I’ve put the people in place on the ice, off the ice, so the responsibility lies with myself.”
A five-game winless run (0-4-1) has dropped the Leafs to 15th in the Eastern Conference and 28th overall.
“I think you can count on one hand how many full complete games we’ve had,” Treliving admitted. “I think there’s been too much vanilla with our team.”
‘Too much vanilla’: Treliving sees a disconnect, Berube doesn’t agree Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube try and put their finger on the disconnect within the team right now. They also discuss the effort level and the inconsistencies up to this point in the season.
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Star winger Mitch Marner is gone, but most of the players have returned from last season, including the entire defence. So, how did a team that ranked eighth in goals against last season slide all the way to 31st?
“It’s a great, great question, and that’s what keeps me up at night,” said Treliving.
He’s not blaming Craig Berube.
“Craig didn’t become a bad coach overnight,” Treliving stressed. “I believe fully in Craig and his messaging. When I talk to the players, too, they believe in it, but there is that disconnect that we’re not doing it. It comes back to the inconsistency.”
Why is there a disconnect?
“I don’t think there is a disconnect,” Berube said. “I can’t really answer that question.”
Treliving points to effort as a reason why the players are struggling to execute the coach’s plan consistently.
“The style that we want to play is a hard style,” the 56-year-old executive said. “But unless you commit to the work, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, and that’s where I see a little bit of the fall-off is doing it together, you doing your job so that I can do my job, and then committing to the hard parts of the game. And that’s where we’ve fallen off right now.”
“We all want effort,” said Berube, who coached the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019. “That’s very important, and there’s been times where it’s lacking for sure. I haven’t seen that lately. So, hopefully it’s going in the right direction.”
Treliving gives Berube vote of confidence: ‘I have all the faith in our coach’ With everyone under the microscope in Toronto right now, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving says he has all the faith in the world in his head coach Craig Berube and knows he can get things turned around.
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Treliving is not planning to shake up the roster.
“We’re not going to just go panic and start throwing things overboard just to do something,” he said.
“The majority of the problems we have need to be solved within that group. You’re not airlifting in 15 new people tonight. This is the group we’ve got … Put anybody in the uniform and playing the way we’re playing, we’re probably going to have the same result. So, No. 1, get the group stabilized.”
It would help if the three new forwards Treliving brought in using the cap space created by the departure of Marner started making a bigger impact.
Matias Maccelli has four goals and four assists and has been a healthy scratch in one game. Nicolas Roy has produced one goal and three assists while Dakota Joshua has mustered just two goals and three assists.
“The new guys, I think they would tell you, and I’m not here to start singling out people, but I think there’s a different level that they can get to,” Treliving said.
“They need to be better. We’ve got to help them, give them a path to be better. We’ve got to continue to work with them to be better. But certainly, the expectation is they can and will be better.”
Joshua was hoping to bounce back after producing just 14 points in 57 games with Vancouver last year.
“Not the start I would have liked coming here,” the winger admitted. “The only thing I can do is move forward and put the first quarter of the season behind me, and continue to work on my game and show what I can really do.”
What’s he focused on?
“Just playing harder and owning the ice in all three zones,” he said. “I think it’s right there to be had, and it’s not far off, but obviously, not the start I would have wanted.”
Roy may have played his best game of the season on Saturday in Chicago, but is now sidelined with an upper-body injury. Berube said the right-shot centre will miss the next couple of games.
‘There’s a different level they can get to’: Leafs expect more from new faces Brad Treliving and Craig Berube discuss the performance thus far from newest Maple Leafs and why they’re looking for more consistency and production from players like Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli.
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Roy joins centre Auston Matthews, centre Scott Laughton, defenceman Chris Tanev, defenceman Brandon Carlo and goalie Anthony Stolarz on the sidelines.
Matthews returned to the ice on Tuesday morning, skating for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury last week in Boston.
“He’s coming along,” Treliving said. “I would suspect Thursday is probably not a possibility. Probably after Thursday, at least we get a little bit better sense of how things are responding. I don’t anticipate too too long.”
The Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday before facing the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday to wrap up the week.
Tanev has not played since being stretchered off the ice in Philadelphia on Nov. 1 with an upper-body injury.
“Probably know a little bit more in the next week or so on Chris, in terms of clarifying a little bit more of a clear return date,” Treliving said. “We miss Chris. At the end of the day, the reality is it’s hard to replace top people, right?”
Treliving stressed that all teams experience injury issues and it’s not an excuse for how the team has been playing.
Matthews, Tanev injury timelines remain ‘grey’ Auston Matthews and Chris Tanev were both seen skating on Tuesday morning, however neither are expected to be in the lineup for the Leafs next two games and a timeline for return is still up in the air.
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Jacob Quillan was pulled off the ice at Marlies practice on Monday and informed he was getting called up to the NHL. One hour later, he was skating on Toronto’s third line between Maccelli and Bobby McMann at Leafs practice.
On Tuesday, Quillan will get the chance to suit up in his second NHL game.
Quillan made his NHL debut last season playing in front of friends and family at home in Ottawa on Jan. 25. But the night didn’t go as hoped as Quillan sustained an injury courtesy a knee-on-knee hit by Nick Cousins in the first period. He ended up logging just five minutes and 21 seconds.
“It was a kind of overwhelming day,” the 23-year-old recalled. “A lot of family there, and it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted, but it’s the way it goes. So just looking to put my best foot forward now … I got a little banged up, but it’s just the way things go. Just looking forward to the next opportunity.”
Quillan has earned this next chance by producing 14 points in 14 games with the Marlies.
“Q’s got great speed,” Berube said. “He’s a competitive kid, but his speed is what drives him. He’s a fast player, and he’s powerful for a young kid. He’s got a lot of power. So he’s going to bring energy to the game. He’s going to work. He’s going to compete. That’s what he’s going to bring tonight.”
Quillan will have his dad in attendance for Tuesday’s game.
“He’s pumped,” the Quinnipiac University product said with a smile.
Quillan gets his chance up the middle with Roy expected to miss ‘next couple of games’ Craig Berube says he doesn’t expect centreman Nicolas Roy back for the ‘next couple of games’. Which means 23-year-old centreman Jacob Quillan gets another look, he’ll play his second career game tonight, his first on home ice.
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Easton Cowan provided a jolt of energy on Saturday in his first game since being recalled from the AHL. The rookie winger landed three shots on net and just missed out on a breakaway chance.
“He had some good opportunities,” said linemate Matthew Knies. “And I think this next game, it’s all going to fall for him.”
“I feel confident,” Cowan confirmed. “Scoring a lot in practice, so eventually they’re going to start going in, but just got to stay positive and just keep focusing on the next shift.”
Cowan did take two penalties during the loss in Chicago.
“Just kind of treated it as another game,” he said. “I wasn’t too nervous. Just went out there and played my game and, you know, obviously a couple of mistakes I want to have back. But you just got to keep going and keep moving forward.”
Cowan took a delay-of-game penalty in the third period after air mailing a clearance attempt into the crowd.
“Just make a harder play,” the 20-year-old said of the lesson. “Don’t be so straight up. I mean, maybe bend your knees a bit and maybe skate it, honestly. But, yeah, we’re just going to move on and I’ll do better next time.”
‘It’s all going to fall for him’: Knies smells a Cowan breakout game Matthew Knies explains why he enjoys playing alongside Easton Cowan and is expecting big things from him tonight after the number of chances he had in Chicago.
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Knies will be facing his old University of Minnesota teammate Jimmy Snuggerud for the first time on Tuesday.
“I’ve never played against him, so I think it’ll be a blast,” said Snuggerud. “We’re pretty close. We live together in the summer. I saw him last night, so it was nice to kind of hang out with him there.”
Knies has given Snuggerud, who is in his rookie season, advice on how to adapt to the NHL grind.
“The biggest piece of advice that he’s given me … is just like the stretching and the little things are so important, getting treatment, things like that, because it’s a long season,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s, you know, 82 games, so it gets to be a lot.”
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The Blues are one of the few teams behind the Leafs in the standings right now. St. Louis arrives in Toronto ranked 30th overall.
“You’re going to see two desperate, hungry hockey teams that are going to do what it takes to win a hockey game,” said Blues captain Brayden Schenn. “Both teams aren’t happy and that just adds to it. Guys are going to come prepared tonight and come ready to win a hockey game. I think that’s what you’re going to see.”
Berube cracked the whip at Monday’s practice with some harsh words for his players after a slow start to the session.
“Just the urgency needs to come within the room,” said Joshua of the coach’s message. “And it’s time to go here.”
The Blues are the only team below the Leafs in goals against per game this season. St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery believes Tuesday’s tilt will “probably be a low-scoring game.”
“It’s going to be a scrappy one,” agreed Blues centre Robert Thomas. “It’s not going to be pretty. Both teams need the wins now and are really pushing for it.”
Both teams held a full skate on Tuesday on the heels of a full practice on Monday.
Leafs Ice Chips: ‘Desperate, hungry hockey teams’ ready to battle The Maple Leafs have lost five straight games, while the Blues have dropped three of their last four and are tied for second last in the West. Mark Masters has more on two struggling teams that are hoping to take advantage of the other tonight.
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Projected Leafs lineup for Tuesday’s game:
Robertson – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Domi – Cowan
Maccelli – Quillan – McMann
Joshua – Lorentz – Jarnkrok
Rielly – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – McCabe
Mermis – Stecher
Woll starts
Hildeby
Blues lines at Tuesday’s skate:
Holloway – Thomas – Snuggerud
Schenn – Dvorsky – Kyrou
Buchnevich – Suter – Joseph
Toropchenko – Sundqvist – Walker
Bjugstad, Texier
Broberg – Parayko
Fowler – Faulk
Tucker – Kessel
Skinner
Binnington starts