Brad Treliving confirms his priority on defense with recent signings
The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, Brad Treliving, confirmed his priority on defense with recent signings.
Since he came to Toronto, there's been an obvious pattern about the GM's preferences: he likes to get big defensemen. When he was in Calgary, it was the same thing; with Nikita Zadorov (6'6"), Chris Tanev (6'2"), and Noah Hanifin (6'3").
However, the Flames only managed to win three playoff rounds in the nine seasons under Treliving. Now that he's with the Leafs, he used the same formula and surely hopes to see better results.
Treliving's recent signings at the blue line show a clear pattern: he doesn't want small defensemen.
A new post on X shed light on the Leafs' blue line. It stated that the smallest defenseman acquired by the Leafs in the Treliving era is Max Lajoie, at 6'1", proving that he prefers tall defensemen.
The recent signing of Nicolas Mattinen (6'5") concords with that pattern.
Take a look at the GM's signings at the blue line since he was hired by the Leafs:
Cade Webber - 6'6"
Nicolas Mattinen - 6'6"
Joel Edmundson - 6'5"
Noah Chadwick - 6'4"
Simon Benoit - 6'3"
John Klingberg - 6'3"
Chas Sharpe - 6'3"
Ilya Lyubushkin - 6'2"
William Lagesson - 6'2"
Max Lajoie - 6'1"
Wonder if there's a message here"
Leafs fans hope that Treliving doesn't forget about skills. One or two smaller defensemen who can skate fast and play well offensively are also important. But with all the talent in the Leafs' offense, getting the tough, big guys to back them up is crucial.
| POLL | ||
Do you like Brad Treiving's pattern on defense, which was highlighted by recent signings? | ||
| Yes | 348 | 74.2 % |
| No | 121 | 25.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
