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With Marner set to test the market, Leafs GM Treliving sees challenge and opportunity
Mitch Marner still has a stall in the dressing room at the Leafs' practice facility, but the team is preparing for life without the star winger.
By Mark Masters
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving and director of amateur scouting Mark Leach met with the media on Thursday at the Ford Performance Centre.
Mitch Marner still has a stall in the dressing room at the Leafs' practice facility, but the team is preparing for life without the star winger.
"We've had communication," said general manager Brad Treliving. "Unless there’s a significant change here, I would anticipate that he’s going to hit the market, and we’ll see where things go."
The franchise's fifth-leading scorer is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. A decade after being picked fourth overall by Toronto, Marner appears poised to leave his hometown team.
Asked about his top priority in free agency, Treliving initially said, "With Mitch going," before quickly adding, "If Mitch is going, then everything that he does."
Marner does a lot. He is coming off a career-best 102-point season. The 28-year-old led the team's forwards in average ice time (21:19). A Selke Trophy nominee two years ago, Marner plays in every situation and faces top opposition nightly.
"There's not a Mitch Marner tree that you go to and just replace him," Treliving admitted.
"You're trying to make your team better, and the potential's there to lose a very good player so lots of challenges but, you know, we try to look at it as use those as opportunities as well, right. So that's the job."
The opportunity, Treliving says, is salary cap space. The Leafs currently have $25,709,001 to play with, per puckpedia.com.
"How are we going to use that?" Treliving said. "Those are the things you have to look at."
"Everybody's focused on July 1st, and I get it. We don't play on July 2nd, so you use the time starting on July 1st to try to make your team better. And that may come July 1st, it may come August 1st, September 1st, you're not sure, so continue to work the market."
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Some of the available cap space is earmarked for centre John Tavares who, like Marner, is due to become an unrestricted free agent on Canada Day. Often reluctant to address ongoing negotiations, Treliving struck an optimistic tone when asked about the team's former captain.
"We've had lots of communication," said Treliving. "You're always a little bit hesitant to frame it. I'm trying to give as much information as I can, but it's been positive."
Tavares, who will turn 35 in September, scored more goals last season (38) than any other pending unrestricted free agent. What are the chances he signs before becoming a free agent?
"The chances seem to be increasing ever so slightly by the hour," said TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston. "It's been a grind, that's no surprise but, as somebody said to me today involved with the talks, things are inching closer to getting done here."
"We're moving hopefully in a direction to bring it to closure," Treliving said. "My hope is, until proven otherwise, that we'll have a good outcome there."
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It's a similar sentiment when it comes to top-line winger Matthew Knies, who is due a big raise after completing his entry-level contract. The urgency isn't quite as high on that file because the 22-year-old is only set to become a restricted free agent.
"It goes without saying, Matthew is going to make more than what he's making now on his next contract," Treliving readily stated.
Before reporters could ask about the threat of an offer sheet, Treliving raised the topic.
"You also want to protect yourself moving into the summer past July 1," he said. "That's not anything you can operate in fear with, but you have to do proper business. So, we're very hopeful that we'll get to a good conclusion. When that is, time will tell."
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In his first media session after the Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, Treliving identified a need to change the team's DNA.
"I heard that got some play," the 55-year-old executive said with a smile.
But Treliving made it clear on Thursday that he's not planning a dramatic roster overhaul.
"It's not about airlifting in 20 new bodies," he said. "You have to continue to evolve. It's a mindset as much as anything ... Obviously, there's going to be roster change, there always is every year."
So, what trait may Treliving be looking for among new recruits this summer?
"You need everything to be successful," he said. "You need skill, you need talent, but ultimately it's that competitiveness ..."We see it every spring and every April, May, June in playoffs, so we want to continue to build that."
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Despite being a healthy scratch in 10 of 13 playoff games, 5-foot-9 winger Nick Robertson is still a possibility to return next season.
"Again, we’re in June whatever we are, so the puzzle’s gotta come into place," Treliving said. "But I think Nick’s a good player. He’s still a young player, he’s still an evolving player, but he’s got a skill set — he shoots it in the net. That’s a good skill set to have. We’ll see how it all plays out."
Robertson, 23, finished seventh on the team with 15 goals in 69 games.
Robertson requested a trade after last season before signing a one-year contract on the eve of training camp.
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Toronto's first pick in the draft this year is No. 64.
"You take the best available player talent-wise at that pick," said director of amateur scouting Mark Leach, who will be overseeing his first draft since joining the Leafs.
"I'm just looking for the best available talent and [a] guy who competes and works hard."
Any chance the Leafs will look to move up?
"We'll see," Treliving said. "Looking at move-down scenarios potentially more than move up, but you see how it all unfolds."
The Leafs have six picks in the draft including a third-round pick, two fifth-round picks, a sixth-round pick and a seventh-round pick.
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Leafs lines in Game 7 against the Panthers:
**Knies - Matthews - *Marner
**Holmberg - *Tavares - Nylander
*Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok
McMann - Domi - *Pacioretty
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Woll
*Murray
*pending unrestricted free agent
**pending restricted free agent