Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Suffice to say, the trade deadline was make or break for the Toronto Maple Leafs. GM Brad Treliving had a real chance to sell high on his assets and transform the team’s outlook for the future.
Instead, he took whatever little he could find, while making zero improvements to his prospect pool and no doubt the Toronto Maple Leafs are surely about to go through an overhaul.
What insiders are saying about Brad Treliving’s job security
He took accountability for the lack of a return but it’s more of the same from the GM, however he is going to have to start really putting his words into action soon — or he might be out of a job.
A new report from David Pagnotta on the JD Bunkis Podcast shows that the Maple Leafs are getting a bit tired of their GM’s schtick, and the once long rope they had given him has gotten much, much shorter:
I don’t think the leash is too long…for Brad Treliving, but every indication I’ve been given is that they’re gonna allow him to fix this and perhaps, likelihood, give him one more shot.
While that’s certainly going to frustrate fans knowing that Treliving might be in charge past this summer, there are things that he can still do to change the team but he needs to start being a lot more proactive.
What Treliving needs to fix this offseason
Well, there’s a laundry list of things but let’t take a look at what should be prioritized: Morgan Rielly, Goaltending, and Craig Berube.
1. Figure Morgan Rielly Out
The Maple Leafs need to start using their assets and getting Morgan Rielly off the team. As much as Rielly has been a part of the team through it all, there’s nothing on-ice to show that he deserves the contract he’s getting or the minutes.
His defensive game has never been great but the last two seasons have been near egregious, the offence has slipped considerably, he can’t move the puck out, he’s not that fast — why is he still getting 21:31 a night?
Rielly, 31, has 32 points in 61 games (8 goals, 24 assists) but also holds a minus-16 and has continued to have dwindling possession numbers.
It’s time to use your salary retention, take 50% of that enormous $7.5-million hit and find a trade partner, and even with that trade protection, you have to tell Rielly that it’s time to move on.
Go out and get someone like Darren Raddysh or make a massive deal to bring in a new group like Jakob Chychrun and Martin Fehervary from Washington.
Toronto needs a serious injection on the blueline but it all starts with Morgan Rielly.
There’s a blessing in the Maple Leafs system right now, and that’s their goaltending depth chart. Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are great (when healthy and have some defence) meanwhile Dennis Hildeby has been a solid backup and Artur Akhtyamov looks like he could be a starter in a few years.
So, why are you holding onto four goalies? Yes, there are injury concerns with both Woll and Stolarz but doesn’t that show that perhaps they should find a suitor for them and let the other team deal with that headache?
Stolarz has been great but chronically injured, Woll has been healthier but more inconsistent.
Find a happy medium and weigh the risks of both players and make a decision. There are several teams around the league who are looking to improve their goaltending, and with a slew of them in the pipeline — Toronto has some leverage.
Look at New Jersey for instance. You have two pretty old goalies in Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, and both have injury troubles too.
Why not take a stab at bringing in Dougie Hamilton while offering up a goalie?
Woll is a decade younger than both their current goalies and is pretty familiar with head coach Sheldon Keefe so the transition isn’t a tough one.
This can be the start of the sell-off in the summer where Toronto can find suitors for names like Brandon Carlo, Max Domi, Rielly, Simon Benoit, and even potentially Nick Robertson and could circle back to an Oliver Ekman-Larsson deal.
Right there, you have up to six players leaving on top of a goalie. It’s going to be the stars and that’s about it going forward.
For all the lack of real assets the Maple Leafs have, their goaltending crop might be their best shot at sparking real change — but make a choice on who to keep.
It’s great that Treliving and head coach Craig Berube are friends. But friendship doesn’t build championship-winning teams and it’s clear that there’s a disconnect between Berube and his players.
When you have players literally turning their backs on their coach, read the room. This is not an indictment of Berube’s past accomplishments but he can’t do anything with these players; he’s not going to force them to play a style they don’t want to.
But he also deserves the boot for turning Auston Matthews into Ryan O’Reilly and not the league’s greatest scorer, neglecting to give Easton Cowan or Jacob Quillan any leeway even if they are rookies in a losing season, and never utilizing creativity. It was his way or the highway, and it led Toronto off a cliff.
Craig Berube won a Stanley Cup, we can never take it away from him. But that was a roster built completely differently, with guys who actually wanted to play under his system.
He’ll be in demand somewhere, and some teams would love to have his knowledge in some capacity, so if anyone wants him, take him.
What happens if Treliving can’t turn it around?
Well, this part isn’t going to take too long. If Treliving cannot find a way to get rid of Morgan Rielly and his albatross contract, fire his head coach while bringing in a voice that will actually have players listen, and get something for your one bright spot (goaltending) — there’s really no excuse anymore.
Brad Treliving has to be let go as GM of the Maple Leafs even though it will have been way too late, and the team needs to live with that and the fact they may have ruined Auston Matthews’ legacy in Toronto.
Who then takes the reins? There’s also Jim Nill who has an expiring deal and he led to Dallas to some pretty fantastic success recently.
There’s still time for the team and Treliving to turn things around, and with some luck and a proactive attitude they can fix what’s broken.
So maybe a few moves and a new leader will be the anti-venom to the snakebitten Maple Leafs before they end up heading even further into the darkness.
Previously on Hockey Patrol