CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – With the NHL’s trade deadline under a week away, Brad Treliving is trying to temper expectations about how big of a swing he might take before Friday afternoon.
At least by the sounds of it in a surprise availability ahead of Maple Leafs practice on Saturday, the Leafs GM isn’t quite sold on the costs that come with taking that swing.
“Ultimately, it’s more about looking at your team: Where are the areas that you think you can improve upon? Are there players out there that can make a difference and move the needle? And sometimes moving the needle is small. Maybe it’s not the sexy headline-grabbing move, but where are areas that you can shore up? And ultimately what’s available? What’s the cost and how does it all fit in?” Treliving said.
As has been the case with Treliving as GM, the Leafs have been connected to multiple players possibly available ahead of the trade deadline. St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn, who won a Stanley Cup under Leafs coach Craig Berube, is the latest name to be linked with the Leafs.
You could make a case that — given how wide open the Eastern Conference is, with the Leafs still atop the Atlantic Division, and with the excellent tandem goaltending the team is getting from Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll — this is as good a season as any to take that proverbial swing.
It doesn’t seem like that’s a case Treliving wants to make, however.
“I don’t buy into the idea that from year to year, it’s wide open,” Treliving said. “The (Eastern Conference) has got the reigning Stanley Cup champions. It’s got good teams. I think you always have to base it on where you think your team is at. And it’s not, to me, about taking big swings. Where do you think you can help your team the most? Sometimes you historically look back, and this isn’t saying we’re doing this or we’re not doing that but historically you look back and these attention-grabbing deadline deals, and how many have really paid dividends, right?”
And so as the trade deadline inches closer, perhaps the likelihood of the Leafs adding one of the more impactful players available has decreased.
“I like our team. I’d like to see if we can make it better by Friday than it is today,” Treliving said.
Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten, the Leafs’ two top prospects, will likely generate interest from other teams in trade talk.
And yet, Treliving showed typical confidence in the pair, suggesting at the very least that the Leafs don’t want to part from these two so easily. Treliving made a point to highlight – multiple times – how he has to weigh the “cost” of any players he’s looking to acquire.
Reading between the lines here? Shipping out Minten and Cowan might be too rich a cost for any players Treliving might have kicked tires on. Perhaps the likelihood of both players contributing to the Leafs next season on cheap deals remains valuable.
“They’re going to be NHL players,” Treliving said of Cowan and Minten. “We think highly of them as we do with a number of other prospects. We think those guys are exactly where they need to be right now and are progressing well and we’re excited about them.”
Treliving suggested those on the outside should take some of the rumours surrounding the team with a grain of salt. Legitimate moves from the Leafs don’t sound impending, at least as of Saturday afternoon.
“That’s the trick: You’ve got to determine fact from fiction about what players are actually available,” Treliving said. “You look around, there’s still lots of teams in the race. I would say in comparison to years past, (trade activity) is a little bit slower just because I think there’s a lot more teams that maybe haven’t declared yet as in years past. So there’s lots of conversations going on.”
If the Leafs do make a move, it’s clear that a two-way forward is high on their shopping list. But on Saturday, he also suggested defence was an area of the ice he’d like to bolster.
“I don’t think you can ever have too many (defencemen). So if there’s something there that makes sense to us,” Treliving said. “There’s certainly some areas we’d like to shore up. It’s just: What’s the cost, what’s the contract, how do you fit it in and ultimately what assets have got to go out the door?”
Other news from Treliving’s availability in Pittsburgh:
• Treliving said Calle Jarnkrok’s return is dependent not on cap space but “seeing surgeons and getting the final clearances. From a medical standpoint, everything is on track. It’s approaching now. We have a back-to-back coming up with a player that has been out for a long time. But he’s on the near horizon.”
Crucially, Jarnkrok took reps on the Leafs second power play unit for the first time during Saturday’s practice. Berube added that it’s a “possibility” Jarnkrok plays his first regular season game on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jarnkrok has spent the entire season on LTIR with an undisclosed injury. Jarnkrok himself said: “I feel great out there. I’m just waiting for the last medical clearance.”
• Depth scoring issues? What depth scoring issues? Treliving was quick to laud the likes of bottom-six forwards Nick Robertson, David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg for their play as of late: “Everybody’s got an important role here. We’ve seen them now chip in more offensively lately, which we need.”
• On Saturday, the Leafs signed undrafted Prince George Cougars forward Borya Valis, 20, to a three-year, entry-level contract. “Our staff has had a lot of interest in him for a while,” Treliving said. “He has a real good two-way game, he has offensive instincts, good size, skates well. He’s one of those guys who is a late developing player.”
(Photo of Brad Treliving: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
