Treliving: Leafs remain interested in bringing back Bertuzzi, Domi
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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic Tuesday the team remains interested in re-signing pending unrestricted free agent forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi.
LeBrun writes that Treliving is busy meeting with player agents, other general managers and potential draft picks ahead of the June 28 NHL Draft, while also keeping an eye on free agency.
“But it’s got to work for them and it’s got to work for us,” Treliving said of Bertuzzi and Domi. “We’ve got, certainly, some issues that we have to address on the roster. There’s a pie and there’s only so much to go around.
“We’ve got a few guys who are up. And part of this is getting better, too. It’s not just being the same. You’re trying to get better in the process, as well. So we’ll see.”
According to CapFriendly, Treliving has just over $18.5 million in cap space to work with this summer and has a handful of pending UFAs coming off the books, including T.J. Brodie, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lubushkin, Mark Giordano and Ilya Samsonov in addition to Bertuzzi and Domi.
Timothy Liljegren, Nick Robertson, Noah Gregor and Connor Dewar are also scheduled to become restricted free agents. Toronto currently has 16 players under contract.
“You’ve been talking to teams since the season ended, so met a few of them here,” Treliving told LeBrun. “And we’ve got several unrestricted and restricted free agents, so you’re meeting with agents on them and seeing if there’s a path to a deal. In some cases, the path is smoother than others.
“It’s early in some of the processes. So you’re meeting on that. And obviously the bulk of your time here is meeting with the kids for the combine.”
Bertuzzi joined the Leafs last summer as a free agent on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. He had 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points, scoring 14 of his goals over his final 25 games. He also had one goal and three helpers in seven playoff games before the Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the first round.
Domi inked a one-year, $3 million deal with Toronto last July, tallying nine goals and 38 assists for 47 points. He had one goal and three assists in seven playoff games.
Leafs keeping tabs on Edmundson
LeBrun reported on Monday in The Athletic there is mutual interest in a reunion between the Leafs and Edmundson this summer, but added it is not a sure thing a deal gets done.
Edmundson, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Washington Capitals in exchange for two draft picks earlier this year, is coming off a four-year, $14 million deal signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2020. His cap hit with the Leafs this season, though, was just $875,000 after the Canadiens and Capitals retained salary on his deal.
The 30-year-old went without a point in nine games with the Maple Leafs during the regular season. He had one assist while playing in all seven playoff games.
Selected in the second round of the 2011 draft by the St. Louis Blues, Edmundson has 29 goals and 110 points in 530 career games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.