HE CAN AND HE WILL - BRAD TRELIVING HAS ALREADY DONE WHAT DUBAS COULDN'T, BUT HIS GRAND TEST AWAITS

Mario Russo

Exactly five weeks ago, Brad Treliving sat down for his first official press conference as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The bright lights of the media room bounced along the perspiring forehead of the former Flames frontman, setting a precedent that understandably stood as what life would be like for Treliving while dealing with blue ink over the foreseeable future.

Whether it be for the short term or the long haul, all the eyes, cameras, hopes and dreams heavily relied on the doings - and potential wrongdoings - of Treliving. The oversaturated lighting at his inauguration was merely an initiation, a first step into what being a GM in a hockey-crazed winningless market was all about.

His first taste of pressure, and he didn't even have to open his mouth to take it in. That’s hockey in Toronto for you.

The light continued to pound on Treliving’s face as he prepared to speak. Reporters - that in the past have played both the hero and the villain of this franchise, rapidly began ringing off questions with the search for the only answer that mattered throughout the entire duration of the conference.

What makes you better than all the other parade planners that once stood at that table? Including the one that brought this team its biggest success since the early 2000’s.

Evidently - and understandably - the why came well before the who. The ‘how’ that involved the current state of the team seemed to get lost in the shuffle of it all. The ‘where’ addressing the source of all this promised success from Treliving appeared at least on the surface, to possess his entire M.O as a relatively successful NHL GM.

His ability to be fearless in a position that constantly induces terror amongst those in similar managerial positions. Having a means of placing both your head and your heart on separate ends of the negotiating table and allowing the chips to fall where they may.

That’s precisely what Treliving was asked of in respect to his blockbuster deal in the summer of 2022 that saw both the Flames and Panthers swap season-changing stars. Without hesitation, he stood in a position of defense behind the deal that frankly, put him on the radar of the hockey world.

Even as the player he parted ways with was actively forging an unseen playoff run in the first season with his new squad, Treliving sat at the Maple Leafs media table as if the two-time 100+ point player was just another meager piece to the puzzle. It was just business, he implied.

That was what Treliving sought out to deliver for the Maple Leafs on his first day on the job. The warning label glimmered in the spotlight with him, yet five weeks and a frenzy of free agent signings later, it’s that same warning label responsible for checking off the boxes Treleving’s predecessor was unable to scratch and claw at.

From day one, Treliving sought out to sprinkle a sense of toughness into the Maple Leafs lineup that, almost annually, is brought up in conversation as a must-need for this organization.

Inking Ryan Reaves to a multi-year contract definitely makes the bottom six of the squad much tougher to play against, with Reaves bringing more of a chaotic and fearless approach to not just the ice, but the locker room as well.

Off the top, it strikes a similar chord to the likes of Wayne Simmonds, who was brought on by Kyle Dubas at the 2021 trade deadline to help fill a transpicuous physical void in the lineup that constantly set the Leafs at a disadvantage.

Though the skillsets of Reaves and Simmonds may sit at a deadlock, it’s the feeling behind having a loose cannon like Reaves in your arsenal, ready to fire in any heated situation. Sheldon Keefe finally has the spark plug for a quick ignition.

The headlining deals of July 1st (and 2nd) are the ones that put Treliving in a position entirely foreign throughout the Dubas-led era. All three of the club’s recent marquee signings in Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg and Max Domi were all at one point or another, linked to becoming the next savior for the blue and white over the last handful of years.

All three possess a unique toolbox of skills that at its peak, can easily push the Leafs over the postseason hump that has left them falling head over heels almost annually. Looking at Klingberg, he possesses an offensive upside that few can offer on the backend.

Putting his statistically putrid defending to the side - as many tend to do when discussing attack-first defenders, he elevates his game come the summer time, a feat he hit head on with during his 21 point playoff campaign to help send the Dallas Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup final.

The acquisition of Klingberg is what is the most intriguing and already sets Treliving in an elevated position over his predecessor. Throughout his tenure in Toronto, Dubas was steadily reluctant to seize the opportunity of acquiring an elite-level offensive defender.

Perhaps, it will be a helpful contribution to a blueline that struggled to produce postseason offense without the number 44 stitched to the back of their jersey last season. This is a new luxury Toronto has and it comes with the potential of being a proper fit for the club.

As for Bertuzzi and Domi, it is the pair’s ability to play with both versatility and timeliness that has this Maple Leafs’ top six looking as potent as ever. Offensively opportunistic players that bring a bit of physical bite are hard to come by, yet constantly seemed to slip through the hands of the Leafs former GM.

Treliving brought in what Dubas could not, and with it arrived a top-end loaded with an identity that screams hard to play against.

In a blink of an eye, Treliving cashed in on all of the team’s needs that failed to be properly addressed by Dubas in the past. Physical fill-ins are now better known as stabilized workhorses in the early stages of the Treliving era. Toughness has been addressed and backend talent with offensive upside isn't trailing too far behind.

What now stands in the way of Treliving prematurely besting his former role-taker involves the steady hands around negotiating a contract with William Nylander - one that can subsequently play a role in shaping the workings of Auston Matthews’ pact in a years time.

As it currently stands, the two sides (Treliving and Nylander) are nowhere near the same page when it comes to sticking together the dollars and cents at the end of the checkbook. Treliving finds himself now facing the lonesome test Dubas was unable to successfully accomplish, negotiating a mutually friendly deal - one without any strings attached to a form of overpayment

Playing hardball and winning is the main objective for Treliving. Perhaps, it’s the only objective if he wishes to keep his job further down the line, as well as the star players that make up the current team.

Though the contract negotiations may start and stall as the summer rolls along, it is the bright lights and powerful greetings at Treliving’s opening press conference that will forever mold his tenure as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He shoots from the hip, fearlessly taking what he wants by any means necessary. Through five weeks on the jobsite, he has shown his snarl and bite to the entirety of Leafs Nation. Few are complaining as this team inches closer to being a final product.

He can and he will. That familiar phrase feels a lot different now than it once did. Maybe it’s the team at hand. Maybe it’s the guy saying it that’s making it sound different. Believable.

Certain.