Treliving discusses Berube hiring, off-season changes, Matthews' captaincy and Marner with Dreger

With the puck set to drop on the NHL regular season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger sat down with general manager Brad Treliving to discuss the team's eventful off-season, the changes made on the ice and behind the bench, Mitch Marner's contract negotiations and transitioning the captaincy from John Tavares to Auston Matthews.

The interview has been edited for brevity. 

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Dreger: Brad, there’s roster decisions to make and the [salary] cap always factors into the Toronto Maple Leafs – any cap team for that matter – but you do look at individual standouts for training camp and I think it’s fair to say Nick Robertson has been that. Are you prepared, as the regular season is looming, to say that he’s made the club?

Treliving: It would be hard to say he’s not, based on if anyone’s been watching the games. What’s really impressed me about Nick, I look at last night as a perfect example – the two plays that happened before the goals are Nick making real good defensive plays.

A lot of young, offensive players when they come into the league, it’s about offence. And Nick’s shown he can score, which is the hardest thing to do in the league. But what he has continued to learn, and what he’s really made a priority at this camp, is showing the coaches that he can be trusted on the other parts of the ice. He’s been killing penalties, he’s been really good on the forecheck, his checking game has been real good and then you couple that with him shooting into the net. He looks like a player who can help us.

And, quite frankly, I know a lot’s been made over the summer with him – some of it got a little more play than most – but I talked to Nick regularly throughout the summer, and I think he’s gone through a lot here. A lot of it’s been injuries over the last couple of years. He wanted to be confident he was going to get an opportunity. He knew he had to pull his end of the bargain, but I look at Nick as a young guy who’s got a real good skill set. They’re hard to come by. The business part has to take care of itself, that part played out over the summer, and we got a contract done. Nick has come out and done a really good job and I’ve really excited about his camp. How can you not be?

Dreger: A small window to compare here when you look at your training camp last year compared to this training camp this season. What’s the biggest difference for you? It looks more competitive, but is it more competitive than it was last year?

Treliving: Yeah, I think we’re deeper. From a personal standpoint, I’m more familiar with it. I felt like you’re on the treadmill a little bit last year.

But I look at our group right now, our young players are a year older. Nick Robertson for example, he’s a year older. I think we’ve got more people pushing, we’re deeper in all positions. On defence, we’ve brought in the Tanevs, the OELs, Jani Hakanpaa who’s working through some health things. But beyond that, we’ve got a push from below. We’ve got some depth. I think we’ve added eight defencemen over the course of the summer.

So, how it all shakes out, we’ll see – it’s camp, we haven’t played any games yet. I think there’s more competition. You don’t come into camp with 10 open spots, that’s just not reality. There’s usually a spot maybe or two, but there’s also competition within the team – where you’re going to play in the lineup, specialty team work, where pairs fit. Craig [Berube]’s a big believer, as a lot of coaches are, in having pairs and a skill set that fits with it. So I think there’s been – as there is with a new coach – a fresh, clean slate for everybody.

So, I do think we’re deeper. I think it’s been more competitive. I think we probably have more bodies for the number of chairs we have available, which is a good thing. We’ll get through tomorrow [Saturday], then see where we sit come Wednesday.

Dreger: At the end of last season you said everything has to be on the table, everything has to be considered. And that was just a byproduct of disappointment in how the season ended. It’s your second full year, but you can make the case that it’s your first year of putting your fingerprints on a team that you want to see. You made changes – you changed your coach, the captaincy, you talked about adding “meat,” changing your defence. You bring in a Cup-pedigree goaltender to help things out. It’s by design, but at the end of year, did you have a checklist?

Treliving: We were being real honest. Some years, you say “Hey, I think we maxed out.” I think we left some on the table last year. Now, we had some injuries – not excuses, everybody goes through injuries – but we did find a way to get the job done, so you had to look at everything.

I’m not a believer in making a deal to say, “Look, we changed for the sake of saying we changed.” We’re trying to get better. I think we did make some changes. Obviously, Craig coming in, our defence was an area we really wanted to try to address. I think Chris, Oliver, Hakanpaa, once he gets up to speed, with the guys that we’ve got here, I think we’ve got some other guys pushing, I think we’re deeper in that position than we were a year ago. I think our checking game from the back end is going to be better, while still trying to move pucks.

Up front, same sort of thing – we’ve gotten some young players that are pushing. We talked last year about Easton Cowan – he’s a better player this year than he was last year. But there’s expectations and he’s still a young player. Fraser Minten had a great rookie camp. Unfortunately he hurt himself, but he’s pushing over. Young [Nikita] Grebenkin is pushing over. We’ve brought in Steven Lorentz on a PTO, [Max] Pacioretty on a PTO – those guys have been in the league and had success in the league.

I like the look of our team right now – and 31 other guys are saying the same right now. But I think the imprint that Craig is going to have on our team, our ability to check hard, we’ve got lots of skill – we’ve shown we’ve got the ability to shoot it in the net – we can’t be in a position where we need four and five to win every night.

I like what we’ve seen from the goaltenders through camp, so we’re still a work in progress like everybody is. Through 12 days, I like where we’re sitting.

Dreger: Why was Craig the right coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs at this time, and what do you expect is going to be different on and off the ice with him at the helm?

Treliving: No. 1 – I think we’ve got really good players. And I’ve said all along that I’ve enjoyed my time with Sheldon [Keefe] – I think he’s a hell of a coach. I think he’s going to be a real good coach for a long time in this league. Sometimes it’s just time.

So we made the change and then we went out. And sitting with Craig and going through the process – first of all, going through the interview process and everybody we talked to – and we talked to a lot of players. And it wasn’t just the guys who played on the power play.

Three things came real clear. There’s a real directness - there’s a real clarity in his message, there’s no grey area. His ability to connect with players, hold players accountable. And then there’s just real clarity on team and individual play – everybody has got a role and there’s no confusion over how he wants his teams to play. And that’s really what I’ve seen. He walks into the room and there’s no need to guess who’s in charge. He’s got real presence to him.

Publicly, I think Craig keeps his cards pretty close to the vest. He’s a real smart guy. I think he’s a motivator, but he’s really dialed in to the X’s and O’s and the technical aspect of the game. But’s he’s got a real unique ability to take all that information in and deliver it in a concise and clear message – both from team play and individual play.

Everybody’s going to have a role, everybody’s going to know what that role is and what’s expected of them individually. He’s real clear on how he wants the team to play – and that’s from Player 1 to Player 20 on the roster. And everybody’s important – we’re not going to be able to achieve the things we want to achieve without everyone. And whatever that role is, it’s absolutely critical to team success.

I’ve been really impressed so far. We’ve joked that, “everybody’s happy now and everybody’s undefeated,” but the live bullets will start on Wednesday. He’s just a real impressive guy and I’ve really enjoyed not only the camp, but the summer we’ve spent together and watching his interaction with the players. An impressive guy.

Dreger: How did you get to a point where you went, “Okay, it’s time for us to transition the captaincy,” from John Tavares – a real good leader – to Auston Matthews who, offensively, is no question a leader of this franchise. How did you know this off-season was the right time?

Treliving: There was no real “A-ha” point. John and I had a conversation at the end of the year.  And it’s the truth – this had nothing to do with John. I think John’s a terrific captain, I think he’s a perfect pro. There’s few guys around that look after themselves the way he does and is dialled into preparation as John is.

This was about Auston. Auston’s our best player and it was time for him now to grab hold of this team, set the standard and demand that everyone meet his standard. And he’s such a respectful guy that I didn’t want it to be in a situation where he felt he was stepping on anybody’s toes.

So, that’s really the thought process and we talked about it internally. Shanny, myself, Brandon Pridham, Shane Doan and our management group – everybody was in alignment.

And I can’t commend John enough. Everything went well and it did go well. This wasn’t a break-up. It was a transitioning of the captaincy and John couldn’t have been more professional in the process. He understood it.

I said it then and I’ll say it again: We still need John. We still need John in a leadership role. Not only  what he means on the ice, but off the ice. He’s there to support not only Auston, but the entire group. He does a great job of it, but this allows Auston to sort of spread his wings a little bit. He sets a very high standard. Not a lot of people know just how committed he is to his craft, and it’s up to the group to follow him and it’s up to Auston to pull them along.

Dreger: Toronto’s a very passionate market and I’m intrigued sometimes by some of the trade speculation around certain players. Mitch Marner as a Toronto Maple Leaf certainly has been in the crosshairs of that over the last couple of years. It wouldn’t make sense to trade him in-season, but what does he need to show, what does the team need to show, what does the core need to show? Or maybe the best way to answer this is - why is a major contract negotiation for a player of that significance so difficult?

Treliving: Well, any and every contract has its own life, right? Regardless of the amount of money. It took us a while to get Nick Robertson signed this summer.

Listen, Mitch Marner is a star in this league. To your question – what does he have to do? He has to be himself. I’ve been here a year. I think in every market, there’s players that maybe get more scrutinized than others. Mitch does here. He’s a terrific player. He’s a star in the league. Our failings, or us falling short last year – I can’t speak to the previous years because I wasn’t here, but I can speak to last year – that doesn’t lie just solely on Mitch’s shoulders.

Mitch had come through a high ankle sprain at the end of the year – he’s not using that as an excuse – but we need Mitch just to be Mitch. He doesn’t have to do anything more than that – this guy’s a terrific player. There’s very few players in the league that can produce the offence that his does, kill penalties, (be) in a Selke Trophy conversation. I’m a huge fan, and we’ll handle the business side quietly and away from the spotlight and hopefully when we get something to report, we’ll report it.

But I know Mitch’s focus and our focus right now is to get the year started, get off to a good start and be the player I know he can be. And we rely heavily on him. He’s a star in the league. He’s had a great summer, he’s refreshed, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and the rest of the group come Wednesday.

Dreger: So just leave it at ongoing discussions? We’ll just leave it there?

Treliving: We’ll just leave it at that.

Dreger: You’ve been through some rivalries in your time – the Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. I don’t know if it’s fair to invite a comparison to what I’m going to ask. You’ve just come through Toronto and Montreal and all the shenanigans that went on earlier in the pre-season. Too soon to say which one has more punch right now – the Battle of Alberta or Toronto-Montreal?

Treliving: What happened last week was really unfortunate. You never want to see any player injured ever. There’s players trying to make an impression, there’s players trying to make a team, and there’s NHL players who are just trying to get up to speed. What happened with Patrik [Laine], it’s really unfortunate and you never want to see it with any player.

I can speak to Cedric [Pare]. There was really no intent – it was an unfortunate play. Sometimes in our sport, unfortunate plays happen. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Listen, the Toronto-Montreal rivalry – I don’t know if there’s one more storied. Edmonton and Calgary in the Battle of Alberta is special and there’s a hatred between the two cities, there’s some great rivalries there. This [Toronto-Montreal] is “Forever Rivals.” And that’s a team that’s been building for a while. I think they’ve got a tremendously talented young team. So I think it’s a great rivalry. It’s one of the best in the history of our sport.

I’m not just focused on those rivalries. I look at our division. I think it’s the toughest division in hockey – you’ve got the Stanley Cup champions here, you’ve got Tampa Bay, who’ve won it those years before, we mentioned Montreal, Buffalo, Detroit. Boston is an elite team year after year.  Just go through every team. Every team in this division is difficult. Ottawa – they’re on the cusp.

We said it a training camp to our group – we’ve just to focus on today. As motherhood-ish and cliched as that sounds, that’s what we have to focus on. We have to focus on today. We’ve got three or four days to finish off camp and prepare for opening night. Wednesday in Montreal is going to be a challenge, as will the 81 [games] following it. And we’re just going to focus on ourselves each day, get better and hopefully it leads to good results.

Dreger: And so what does success mean to you at the end of the year?

Treliving: We’re not focused on that. We’ve got a good team here. We’re a collection of players right now and we’re trying to build a team. We’ve got internal goals and we’re not necessarily going to speak about those other than to say each day is a day for us to get better. Get better individually, but more importantly, get better together as a group and that’s our plan.

Dreger: Last question – and you have to decipher whether it’s a compliment or criticism. Your colleagues will often say – colleagues will include player agents as well – they often say ‘Tre’ is in everything. That’s signings, that’s trades – you literally leave no stone unturned. That’s not just general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s been your M.O. in management back over a number of years. Is that fair?

Treliving: I know I got criticized “always the bridesmaid,” in stuff. You’re not involved in every deal, but I think the job is – as all managers are – to know what’s going on in the league. And our job is to try to help our team whenever we can. And sometimes deals aren’t feasible for whatever reason, or the price doesn’t fit, or the cap doesn’t fit. But I think it’s our job to know what’s going on, try to stay as engaged as you possibly can and see what’s happening. If a deal happens in the league and you’re not aware of it, shame on you. Try to communicate – it’s a good group of managers and there’s lots of communication.

Everybody’s trying to do the same thing – everybody’s competitive and trying to help their team. To me, that’s the job. The job is to make sure you’re engaged, you’re in the conversations and you know what’s happening. All these deals – a lot of them take weeks, if not months of dialogue, but that’s the job. The job is to make sure you’re aware of what’s happening and if there’s something that make sense that can help your team you certainly want to be involved in it.