The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a slow start with a 9-9-2 record, having lost their last five games of their past six games before their 3-2 additional time win on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. Earlier on Tuesday, Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving met with the media for an impromptu ‘State of the Union’ because the team reached the quarter mark of the season.
Even before a single query was asked, Treliving owned the slow start after making some significant changes to the roster this past offseason.
“I’d open it by saying, obviously, as we sit here today, we’re not where we wish to be, or we’re where we envision to be obviously, we’ve underperformed up to now, and I take full responsibility. I’m in command of the hockey department,” Treliving told the media in attendance. “I’ve put the people in place, on the ice, off the ice. So the responsibility lies with myself, and we start today and each day attempting to get ourselves back up and going and improve where we’re.”
Remember, the Treliving moved on from Mitch Marner in the summertime. It appeared Marner in his mind already was moving on from the Maple Leafs two summers ago, but wanted to offer it another run and didn’t need to waive his no-trade clause until the take care of the Vegas Golden Knights got here about.
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Treliving tried to get Mikko Rantanen last 12 months, which further modified the team’s dynamic, but nothing might be worked out. So with Marner gone, he brought in Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, Scott Laughton (trade deadline), Brandon Carlo (deadline), and Dakota Joshua.
The Leafs also moved on from a high quality player in David Kampf, who, for some reason, the Maple Leafs didn’t have use for this season. Nevertheless, he was effective in Craig Berube‘s system last 12 months.
While Brad Treliving re-signed and won negotiations with Anthony Stolarz, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies, the team remains to be underperforming on the ice. He once more challenged the players to be higher on the ice, knowing they’re able to more.
Just like how John Tortorella challenged the highly expert players he coached. He knew their potential, and once they underperformed, he was dissatisfied because Tortorella knew those players had more to offer.
This appears to be a trend for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Head coach Craig Berube called out his players for his or her effort on the ice. As well as, goaltender Anthony Stolarz also called out the team for his or her effort after an additional time loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Once more, the final manager is talking about committing to playing the best way and driving home that message each day. Simply because it was done last 12 months doesn’t mean it is going to occur this 12 months.
“To me, it’s only a commitment to doing the work, right? That’s really what it comes all the way down to is a plan is just not a unique plan, Treliving said. You might have to simply because you probably did it, like I said last 12 months, you’ve to commit to the work. And to me, that’s an enormous a part of it. The style that we wish to play is a tough style, but unless you commit to the work, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done previously. And that’s where I see a bit of little bit of the fall-off: doing it together. You doing all your job in order that I can do my job, after which committing to the hard parts of the sport. And that’s where we’ve fallen off at once.”
When it comes all the way down to it, the Maple Leafs are only too one-dimensional at once, or as Treliving noted, they’re ‘vanilla.’ He can count on one hand what number of complete games the team has played this season. And that’s the big key to success: playing defence the best way, the way in which head coach Craig Berube wants them to play. It guided them to Game 7 of Round 2 against the Florida Panthers last 12 months.
But again, Brad Treliving modified the identity of the team, much like what Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito did with the Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar for Matthew Tkachuk. It took the players a while to regulate to Paul Maurice’s system. And in 12 months two, with an identity change and recent players brought in, the team is struggling.
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However the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t going to make a move simply to make a move. At the identical time, they wish to improve all areas of their team, but, as reported, Brad Treliving is trying to make roster moves. But they aren’t on the market.
And a training change is out of the query. Multiple times, Brad Treliving gave his head coach, Craig Berube, a vote of confidence.
“We’ve got all the religion in our coach at once, so I don’t take a look at that as a problem, Treliving said. Craig didn’t turn into a foul coach overnight. I feel once you undergo difficult times, the straightforward thing is — and it’s the natural thing — you’re going to choose off the coach, the manager, whoever. But Craig and his staff are working hard at it, and I support and have all the religion on this planet.”
While it was interesting timing for Brad Treliving to carry this press conference, the message was clear: it’s as much as the players to determine the best way to play a more connected game. Not only the core of the team that has been there and failed within the playoffs, but additionally the brand new guys who’ve are available in.
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