Leafs GM Treliving looking at centre market, but he's not alone

The Maple Leafs practised at Ford Performance Centre on Monday. 

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With the trade deadline now less than two months away, Brad Treliving is keeping an eye on the centre market. 

"Is that an area that we'd like to continue to look at? Sure," the Leafs general manager confirmed. "We, probably along with about 15 or 18 other teams, are looking at centre depth, so it seems to be a position du jour."

The Leafs like their one-two punch of Auston Matthews and John Tavares down the middle. 

"The guys at the top of the food chain are pretty darn good," Treliving said. "Like Auston and, you know, how can you talk anything but positively about the year John's had, right? So to say you're going to go and get somebody above that, I don't think that's realistic."

But what about upgrading the third-line centre? Max Domi is currently in that spot, but he's experienced his most productive time with the Leafs while playing on the wing. Domi has just three goals and 12 assists in 36 games so far this season. 

Pontus Holmberg, another centre option, is currently a healthy scratch. 

Top prospect Fraser Minten got into 11 games with the Leafs earlier in the season and showed some promise with two goals and two assists. 

"He had a great start with us when he came up," Treliving said of the 20-year-old, who's currently in the American Hockey League. "And I think you just saw the effects of a league on a young player, right? It's a hard league [for a] first-year guy. I think the world of Fraser. Is he a guy that can help us? I think he can help us. Is that now? Is that six months from now? Is that a year from now? We continue to look at it every day. Is Fraser coming in ahead of, you know, somebody from the outside? I don't know, 'cause I don't know who that person is from the outside."

What kind of middle man could Treliving be targeting on the open market? 

"Did I say I was going to add a centre?" the general manager quipped with a grin before answering. "Reliable on both sides of the puck. Certainly somebody that can add offence."

Treliving warned that making a deal isn't going to be easy. The Leafs don't own a first-round pick in the 2025 draft and are reluctant to part with top prospects like Minten and London Knights forward Easton Cowan, who is on a 58-game point streak in the Ontario Hockey League. 

"It's not fantasy hockey," Treliving stressed. "You look at good teams too. You need to have those good young players on, quite frankly, on entry-level deals and lower money."

And the price is only one potential issue.  

"What you want and sometimes what's available is two different things," Treliving noted. "So we'll keep looking."

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Matthews has produced three goals and five assists in five games since returning from injured reserve. Is the nagging upper-body issue finally in the past? 

"Nothing's 100 percent," Treliving said. "We're all day to day, aren't we? We gave it a lot of time. He put a lot of work into getting through it. Touch wood that we're on the other side of it. I think you can see by his play since he's been back, he's feeling good. We're hopeful that it's behind him."

Matthews initially sustained the injury in training camp. He's missed 15 games during two stints on injured reserve. During his first absence, Matthews travelled to Germany to work with a doctor he had used in the past. 

Treliving noted it's too early to talk about Matthews' status for February's 4 Nations Face-Off. 

"There's nothing right at this point to make me worry about that," the general manager said. "We have a month away or so. So with all the players, you look at where they're at, at that time and hopefully there's no setbacks and everything keeps moving forward."

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Treliving is pleased with how his team navigated an injury-plagued first half while banking points and rising to first place in the Atlantic Division. 

"I think we're viewed as a team that checks well and defends the front of our net and doesn't give up a lot of easy ice," Treliving said. 

Free-agent signings Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Philippe Myers have bolstered the blueline. Treliving highlighted goaltending as a strength even with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll both missing time due to injury. Treliving is also happy with how the penalty kill – an offseason priority – has improved. Toronto ranks third overall (83.6 per cent) after finishing 23rd (76.9 per cent) last season. 

The other side of special teams, though, is a surprising sore spot. 

"Certainly the power play is an area that it needs to be a difference maker for us and it hasn't been right now," Treliving admitted. "So that's certainly an area of focus."

The Leafs failed to convert on three attempts on Saturday night with the Vancouver Canucks matching their shot total (two) in those minutes. Toronto is down to ninth overall (20.6 per cent) after finishing seventh (24 per cent) last year. 

"The power play has been 23 per cent over the last 10 games (6/26), which is pretty good," coach Craig Berube said. "Could it be better? Yeah."

The Leafs spent plenty of time on it at practice on Monday. Assistant coach Marc Savard convened the units for some rare pre-practice work. They also did plenty of reps against the penalty kill in the main practice. Some drills started with in-zone draws while others that started with break outs. 

"We want to look to be aggressive in general, especially when you have the man advantage," said Tavares. "Any good look you get I think you gotta take it."

"We're frustrated we're not scoring a little bit," said winger Matthew Knies. "There just needs to be more urgency."

The team has alternated between a traditional look with defenceman Morgan Rielly at the top of the top unit and a five-forward alignment with Knies at the net front and Marner as the quarterback. After the five-forward group allowed a shorthanded goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, Rielly returned to the top unit on Saturday. 

Knies was back with the top unit on Monday. 

"He does a great job of being there all of the time," Berube said. "He is very good at it. Our flankers and our top guys, their job is to get pucks to the net."

"Getting around the net, getting havoc, it's going to help us," Knies said. "We're just looking for the cute plays and I think we need to simplify a little bit especially on the power play."

The Leafs will face a stiff test on Tuesday as the Dallas Stars are tied for the top penalty-kill percentage (85) this season, although they have scored just two shorthanded goals. 

"Five forwards has given us success this year," Berube said. "I could talk about the other-way stuff, but I think Mitch is very reliable back there playing a d-man. It is the other guys who have to help out more on these plays. When he is under pressure, or they are going the other way, we need to have guys coming back hard. They move the puck around well as five forwards. It's looked really good when we've done it."

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The Leafs lost 3-0 to the Vancouver Canucks and got booed by the home fans on Saturday. The struggling Canucks had played on Friday in Raleigh and due to a travel delay only arrived in Toronto on Saturday afternoon. 

"Not good enough," Tanev said after the loss on Saturday night. "Outworked us, out-competed us, and that's why they won."

Marner saw it differently. He liked the effort for the most part. 

"I thought we played well," he said in his post-game meeting with the media. "I really did."

Marner felt the Canucks, like the Hurricanes during Thursday's 6-3 loss, capitalized on their chances while the Leafs didn't. The Leafs only mustered 20 shots on net on Saturday, but also limited the Canucks to 18. 

With the difference of opinion between some of his players, your humble correspondent asked Berube how he wants the team to feel about the game.

"What did you guys think?" the coach retorted. 

It wasn't the team's best performance. 

"What weren't we good at?"

Offence. 

"Yeah, we didn't score. It's hard to win, eh?"

So, what needs to change? 

"Defensively, we were fine," the coach said. "We didn't give up much. But offensively there was more we could've done ... I want more pace. Just could've been a little bit hungrier in that department, for me, like more of an attack, get more pucks to the net, things like that. We did a lot of good things in the game, too, but we got to put them all together."

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At Monday's practice, Berube promoted Steven Lorentz to the top line with Matthews and Marner. 

"I'm used to looking a little bit lower down the lineup for my name," Lorentz said sheepishly. "I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous at first. Any time you're playing with guys of that calibre, I'm fortunate, but you know you got a little bit bigger expectations. But, at the same time, I realize I'm not up there to play that skilled game that those guys are so good at. I'm there to do what I've been doing all year, just use my size and my speed to try to create space."

Lorentz made a point of touching base with Matthews and Marner after practice. 

"I just said, 'Be a little bit patient with me,' and they said, 'Absolutely, don't try and do anything out of your comfort zone. Just go back, get pucks back, and we'll do the rest. Just go to the net.' That stuff is easy for me. If I do what I'm good at, they'll do what they’re good at, and hopefully we'll find some chemistry."

Lorentz, who attended training camp on a pro tryout before earning a contract, has spent most of the season on the fourth line. Matthews and Marner have spent most of the season together on the top line. 

"They just work so fast and they think the game so fast," Lorentz said. "I can't try to speed up my thinking to try and get on their level because I just don't have that."

Lorentz has four goals and five assists in 44 games this season. 

"I like his size (6-foot-4, 216 pounds)," said Berube. "I like the way he plays the game, his pace, getting on pucks in the offensive zone, forechecking, getting to the net, things like that. He is a simple player, but I'm just looking for someone to get in there with Matthews and Marner, create some loose puck battles, and make sure he is at the net all the time and they can do their thing."

With Lorentz on the top line, Knies drops down to the second unit with Tavares and Nylander. 

"I don't think we played our best the last few games so just trying to find something new, spark some energy," Knies said. "Changing up the lines can really spark some juice in guys."

Matthews and Marner finished Thursday's game in Raleigh minus-six, which was a career-worst mark. Knies was minus-five. The top line was also on the ice for Vancouver's first goal on Saturday. 

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Defenceman Jake McCabe, who has missed the last three games, skated before practice and then stayed out for the first 10 minutes of drills. 

"It was great he was out there," Berube said. "He is doing really well. There are no setbacks with him. It is good to see."

McCabe looked dazed after a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway on Jan. 5. There is no timeline for his return to game action. 

McCabe already missed time this season after taking a puck to the side of the head on Nov. 30. Back then he was held out of one game as a precaution before returning to the ice at the next practice. He initially felt good after that workout, but experienced a setback and missed the next five games. 

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Defenceman Jani Hakanpää took part in practice for the first time since undergoing a procedure on his knee. 

"I decided it was the best thing we could do at the time just to help the longevity of it," the 32-year-old Finn said. "It feels pretty good. Things are still a little ways to go, but we're on a really good track now. We know what we're doing and we know what we need to do to make it even better."

The knee issue has limited Hakanpää to just two games (Nov. 14 and Nov. 16) this season. 

"I don't know how close he is, to be honest with you," Berube said. "Having him out there in practice was a good step in the right direction. He is going to need more practice time, for sure, and feeling like he's ready to go. It is a tough timeline for me to give you on that one."

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Monday marked Toronto's first full practice since New Year's Day. 

"I think it is really important to practice," Berube said. "I really do. Morning skates aren't practice. You do kind of go through a couple of drills at times, but I liked the pace out here today. The energy was good. It was good to get out there again. We have to keep trying to find more time to practice."

The team played a couple road games last week in Philadelphia and Raleigh and opted for rest over practice on the off days. This week the schedule features a couple home games – Tuesday and Thursday – before a short trip to Montreal on Saturday. 

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Winger Calle Jarnkrok skated on his own before practice. He underwent groin and sports hernia surgery in November and is listed as month-to-month.

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Lines at Monday's practice: 

Lorentz - Matthews - Marner 
Knies - Tavares - Nylander 
McMann - Domi - Robertson 
Dewar - Kampf - Reaves 
Pacioretty, Holmberg 

Ekman-Larsson - Tanev 
Rielly - Myers 
Benoit - Timmins 
Rifai - Hakanpää

Woll 
Hildeby 

Power play units at Monday's practice: 

QB: Marner 
Flanks: Matthews, Nylander 
Middle: Tavares 
Net front: Knies

QB: Rielly 
Flanks: Ekman-Larsson, Domi 
Middle: Robertson 
Net front: McMann