Leafs GM Brad Treliving Finally Addresses Media Ahead of Challenging Trade Deadline
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving finally broke his silence on his feelings heading into the trade deadline and the front office boss held nothing back in his comments.
With all the talk about the game plan for the Maple Leafs as the trade deadline looms, it's going to be a frenetic week as the team tries to figure out the best possible move for their playoff push.
GM Brad Treliving is aware of all the pressure he's under, and has given a fairly thorough explanation of his mindset heading into the deadline, and he's made it clear that nothing is off the table, but he's not going to be too hasty either:
The trick is determining fact from fiction and figuring out which players are actually available. There are still a lot of teams in the race.
If I had to categorize it, I'd say it's busy-you're talking to a lot of people-but compared to past years, it feels a little slower. I think that's because more teams than usual haven't declared their intentions yet.
With Treliving still working through the kinks (mainly what other teams intend to do) what moves can we look forward to potentially seeing?
Brad Treliving To Make A Blockbuster Deal Or Play It Safe?
Everyone would love Toronto to come out of the woodwork and make a gigantic splash for a player like Brayden Schenn, Brock Nelson, Mikko Rantanen etc.
But Treliving noted that while it would certainly improve the roster, making such a huge deal comes with some titanic risks:
That's not to say we're doing or not doing anything specific, but it's worth considering. It's not about taking big swings-it's about identifying where you can help your team the most.
Sometimes, moving the needle doesn't require a flashy move-it's about shoring up key areas. Then, of course, you have to consider what's available, what the cost is, and how it all fits.
Where his team needs help most is on their third line center, as well as adding some extra scoring on the wing, or add some much needed defensive insurance. Those aren't going to come cheap, and Treliving knows what holes are essential to fill:
There are plenty of conversations happening, and we certainly want to help ourselves. We'll see how things play out. We're looking at all sorts of areas.
At the end of the day, I like our team. My goal is to see if we can make it better by Friday than it is today.
We fans like the team too, as it's arguably the most complete roster the Leafs have had in a long time, and with reliable goaltending for the first time in two decades; it seems like this could be the year.
But there needs to be things figured out and pieces to be moved. Does Toronto want a Brayden Schenn to help them out? Of course, who wouldn't?
Though there are other deals that Brad Treliving can do for half the cost with double the impact.
He's got five days left to get it done.
| POLL | ||
16 HOURS AGO | 323 ANSWERS Leafs GM Brad Treliving Finally Addresses Media Ahead of Challenging Trade Deadline Will Brad Treliving end up making a trade or will the steam standby at the trade deadline? | ||
