Articles in Toronto Maple Leafs

from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

Brad Treliving isn’t interested in talking publicly about his former club, or the Friday night Calgary Flames matchup in Toronto that has his fingerprints all over it.

Although as savvy with soundbites as anyone in the National Hockey League, the personable executive would rather lay low despite the obvious spotlight he’ll be under this week.

“The teams and players are the story,” said the Flames-turned-Maple Leafs architect.

Fact is, as a Canadian general manager, you’re always the story.

Right now, he’s double-shifting, taking considerable heat from two fanbases.

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from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

The concept of Ryan Reaves acting as either a deterrent or an avenger was once again exposed as one of the NHL’s greatest myths when No. 75 sat idly by when Toronto teammate Timothy Liljegren was injured by Brad Marchand’s patented can-opener move toward the end of the first period in Boston on Thursday.

Oh, there was some yapping toward the Boston captain from the bench in the wake of the unpenalized, reckless play that sent the defenseman crashing into the boards and onto the long-term injury list. That, however, represented the sum and substance of the Maple Leafs’ response that featured one-time Bruin rental and current Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi smirking or laughing at the end of the bench.

Imagine how Brendan Shanahan, among the handful of greatest and most menacing power forwards in the history of the league, would have reacted if Bertuzzi had been his teammate in that instance. If only the Maple Leafs had someone like Shanahan running the hockey operation.

Oh.

Five-point-five million dollars to Bertuzzi for what? Well, at least the 37-year-old Reaves is in at just $1.35 million per on the first season of a three-year deal that can be swallowed whole by the AHL allowance at any time.

Maybe Reaves does add a dollop of courage to more contact-adverse teammates. That’s what I’m always told by folks on teams who hire the winger. I have a hard time believing there is tangible impact to that. I think that is just what people say because it’s what people always say about players like that. Off his year-plus with the Rangers, Reaves is a huge, quite likable personality who adds charisma to the room but has little constructive impact on the game after the initial sugar rush of No. 75’s presence.

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Finally, bigger disappointment thus far, A) the Sabres who don’t seem to be prepared; or, B) the Flames, who don’t have Darryl Sutter to blame anymore?

Perhaps you would prefer to cast your vote for, C) the Wild, still a season away from Mats Zuccarello’s two-year extension kicking in.

from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,

Some scary stuff went down at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.

It was Halloween, all right, and the Maple Leafs showed up for work dressed up as a bunch of hockey players.

The costumes might have looked familiar, but the men wearing them certainly didn’t.

In their first game at home following a five-game trip, the Leafs treated their fans to few tricks, coming up flat and small in a 4-1 loss against the Los Angeles Kings.

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from Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet,

With the stands at Scotiabank Arena full of plastic masks, outlandish wigs, blue-and-white jerseys stuffed under all manner of comical costumes, the home crowd rang in Halloween 2023 by raining boos down upon their Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night.

The barrage came 40 minutes into an evening that saw the home side come out lifeless against the quicker, steadier Los Angeles Kings, and ultimately find themselves unable to rise again before the tilt was through.

“We were flat from the start,” a perturbed Sheldon Keefe said of his club after the eventual 4-1 loss was in the books. “We had a couple surges through the game at different times but nothing sustained. You know, you’re climbing out of a hole against a very good, structured team, it’s tough sledding.”

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Game highlights are below.

from Mike Zeisberger of the NHL's website,

Auston Matthews said he always wanted to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite hearing doubters question his sincerity.

Two games into this NHL season, his actions have spoken louder than his words.

Backing up the lucrative contract he signed in the offseason to stay put, the Maple Leafs forward is off to an historic start with back-to-back hat tricks, an accomplishment only one player -- Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (2017-18) -- has managed to do in the past century.

Who knows what he'll do for an encore as part of one of the NHL's early-season marquee matchups Monday when the Maple Leafs host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; SN; TVAS, NBCSCH).

Is that proof enough for you that the 26-year-old is feeling right at home being in the spotlight in perhaps the most hockey-crazed market in the NHL?

It should.

Because this is exactly where he wants to be.

"I love it here," he told NHL.com in a 1-on-1 interview earlier this week. "I kept saying it over and over again whenever I was asked about my future. I'm not sure why some people didn't believe me."

For some reason there were those that didn't. As such, there was no shortage of conspiracy theories floating around him this offseason, especially with him set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

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It’s the dynamics of the divisional competition, not the worthiness of the most talented Leafs players, that are worth focusing on. Too often Leafs fans and observers seem to forget that 31 other teams are trying to win, too.

For seven consecutive Septembers, good teams have emerged from the Leafs’ training camp. It will happen again over the next few weeks, for an eighth straight year.

You’d think more folks in these parts would understand what has been accomplished, not what hasn’t. And what is still very possible.

-Damien Cox at the Toronto Star where you can read more on the Leafs....

from Dave McCarthy at the NHL's website,

Ryan Reaves, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi share a common theme that convinced them to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs as unrestricted free agents.

"A chance to win a Cup, that's why I came here," Reaves said at the Leafs and Legends Charity Golf Classic on Monday. "Look at this team from last year, the last couple seasons what they do in the regular season, it's only a matter of time. I just want to be here for when it happens."

Bertuzzi signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Maple Leafs on July 2. The Sudbury, Ontario, native played for the Boston Bruins last season, his seventh in the NHL, and had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the Eastern Conference First Round, a seven-game loss to the Florida Panthers.

"That was my first taste of playoff hockey," said Bertuzzi, a 28-year-old forward. "That was another reason. It's the best time of year and it's a lot of fun to play in those situations and to get a feel for that, I wanted to be back in it and continue to be in it every year, just having a chance, so I'm excited.

"There's a lot of one-year deals out there and I wanted to be at a place where winning was our biggest goal, and I knew the team has the best chance to make it a long way and hopefully our end goal is to win a Cup. A lot of thinking was involved, obviously [the chance] to play with a lot of good players and it's close to home too."

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via the Toronto Maple Leafs,

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving announced today that the club has signed Head Coach Sheldon Keefe to a multi-year contract extension.

Keefe, 42, was named the 31st Head Coach in Maple Leafs history on November 20, 2019. Through parts of four seasons with the club (267 regular season games), Keefe has coached the team to a 166-71-30 record to rank him sixth in wins in the franchise's 105-year history. Under Keefe, Toronto has set franchise records for most wins (54) and points (115) during a single season (2021-22) while also recording consecutive 50-win campaigns over their two most recent seasons. Since joining the Maple Leafs, Toronto has posted a .622 winning percentage under Keefe, ranking them only behind the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes in that span.

from Travis Yost of TSN,

Over the course of Matthews’ career in Toronto, the Maple Leafs are just one goal better than their opponents with him on the ice in the playoffs. That’s still markedly better than the -11 differential the team sees without Matthews, but I think this is the best (and simplest) explanation as to why the Maple Leafs continue to run into walls when it matters most.

When their best player (and best units, by and large) are on the ice against tougher competition, the Leafs can compete, but usually towards break-even. When that group comes off, Toronto is a net-negative team.

Laying significant blame at the feet of Matthews for Toronto’s postseason undoing doesn’t feel appropriate, but it also seems too kind to be dismissive of it as an issue. And when you are soon to make $13.2 million per year in the seasons ahead, waiving away the lack of impact in the postseason just isn’t going to fly.

Toronto, and Matthews specifically, need to figure out how to take their regular-season dominance – and that’s precisely what it’s been, dominance – into April and beyond. With a new contract in tow, the pressure to do just that has increased considerably.

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from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

- Brad Treliving comes across with a fairly good sense of humour, combined with a decent big-picture take on the world. He’s certainly quotable. Like Brian Burke without the bleeps.

Treliving recalled a story in which he was asked about contract negotiations and whether the two sides were “close.” He told his questioner: “We’re getting there ... there’s only two issues left. We’ve just got to figure out the term and the money.”

- Speaking of uncomfortable, the same goes for Sheldon Keefe after the hiring of Guy Boucher to run the power play. Considering Treliving didn’t hire Keefe, it’s worth watching what kind of start the Leafs get off to. Boucher is an experienced NHL coach who took both Tampa Bay and Ottawa to the Eastern Conference final, and he was on Brendan Shanahan’s short list in 2015 before the Leafs hired Mike Babcock. He’d be the favourite to be the interim” coach if things go sideway for Keefe’s Leafs.

- Not sure what to make of the Leafs defence. John Klingberg wasn’t exactly the kind of blueliner they needed, unless the idea is for Morgan Rielly to play more of a shutdown role. Does Rielly-Klingberg, Jake McCabe-T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano-Timothy Liljegren do it for you?

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Expanded

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

Auston Matthews, who didn’t score a goal against the Florida Panthers in the playoffs, will soon be the highest-paid player in the history of the National Hockey League.

That won’t happen for another season. But the pressure that has always surrounded Matthews, the pressure he has dealt with rather comfortably in his seven seasons with the Maple Leafs, will intensify come April — and every April after that for the duration of his deal.

This is just a beginning in a way for Matthews and the Leafs. We know the prime of his career will be played in Toronto. That much is certain now with his new four-year, $53-million extension with the Leafs, nicely equipped with the perfunctory no-movement clause.

Now it’s up to Matthews to make it count in a way that Hart Trophies, Rocket Richard trinkets and the individual hardware that he has earned matter less than victories in the post-season. The deal took almost 11 weeks to reach fruition. The negotiation was challenging, as many are.

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from Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website,

William Nylander wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs long term and the forward said he is unconcerned about heading into the final season of his current contract without signing a new deal.

"For me, the contract, obviously, I want it to work where I can stay there and be there," Nylander said at NHL European Player Media Tour on Wednesday. "There's no other place I want to play, but I still have one more year left. I don't understand why there's such a big rush to do something right now. I still have one more year left."

Nylander is heading into the final season of a six-year, $41.4 million contract (average annual value $6.9 million) he signed on Dec. 1, 2018, and will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent when it expires.

But the 27-year-old said he has no interest in exploring the UFA market next summer.

"I want to be in Toronto as long as I can," he said. "That's just where my mind is at."

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from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

Just when noon struck on July 26 — the moment the Maple Leafs were allowed to put goalie Matt Murray on waivers for the purpose of buying him out — some completely different news appeared: Murray would be placed on long-term injured reserve to start the season.

Instead of the Leafs taking an $800,000 (U.S.) cap hit this year and a $2-million cap hit next year, they can put the entire amount of the annual average value of his contract — $4,687,500 — on LTIR. Combined with Jake Muzzin’s expected presence there due to lingering head issues, the Leafs went from a team in cap hell — projected to be $13 million over the cap — to a much more manageable number.

And collectively, hockey watchers went: “Well, isn’t that convenient?”

Skeptics certainly have their place when considering how some teams seem to manipulate LTIR cap space. It’s also not that much of a stretch to consider Murray may have somehow done more damage to himself in summer training.

If anyone was going to tweak something in the summer, you’d argue it would be Murray. He missed games to due injuries 16 times in his career, including three times last year with the Leafs. One of those times, he hurt himself in the pre-game warm-ups; in another, he tweaked his groin in a morning skate.

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from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

Bob Baun, hero of what most consider to be the gutsiest playoff goal in Maple Leafs history, has died at age 86.

A family member confirmed the news that the durable defenceman passed away Monday night. He had been in poor health in recent months.

Baun scored in overtime on April 23, 1964 after coming back into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final from a shot block on Gordie Howe that fractured his fibula, carted off the ice at the Detroit Olympia.

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Rodion Amirov was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago and was drafted 15th by the Leafs in 2020.

from David Amber of The Hockey News,

The Maple Leafs have added another goaltender to the mix.

The club announced on Wednesday that they signed Martin Jones to a one-year, $875,000 contract.

The 33-year-old netminder spent last season with the Seattle Kraken where he posted a 27-13-3 record with an .887 save percentage. He was a mainstay with the San Jose Sharks for six seasons. His tenure with the club started exceptionally well during the 2015-16 season, guiding the club to their first Stanley Cup Final. His play has tailed off since where he hasn't posted a save percentage above .900 in over five seasons.

The Leafs are adding Jones as insurance to a goaltending tandem that has had a history of injury. Ilya Samsonov is expected to be the team's starting goaltender heading into the 2023-24 season after a standout first year with Toronto.

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The Maple Leafs have a dilemma on their hands with William Nylander. As the star forward enters the final year of his contract, should the team lock him in long-term or let him play out the year and take their chances? TSN Hockey's Frankie Corrado and Craig Button share their thoughts.

Watch the 5 minute video at TSN.

from David Alter of The Hockey News,

There appears to be no movement when it comes to contract negotiations between the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was a guest on the NHL Network and updated the very latest on what's going with both Nylander and Auston Matthews.

"I think that's kind of at a standstill," Friedman said on Tuesday. "I think that they aren't close. Unless someone really budges (on) their position, that one is going to stay at a standstill."

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Watch the Friedman segment below, other topics are discussed too.

from Nick Barden of The Hockey News,

It appears as though contract negotiations between William Nylander and the Maple Leafs aren't going as everyone would have hoped.

According to TSN hockey insider, Chris Johnston, on the Chris Johnston Show, the negotiations between both sides aren't "going well."

"There were a lot of discussions down at the draft in Nashville between the team (Toronto) and his agent," Johnston said. "And they just see the world differently at this point in time."

Johnston goes on to report that Nylander believes he's a $10 million dollar player, while the Maple Leafs are trying to get him at a lower number.

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At a time when other Canadian teams — Calgary. primarily — are having trouble getting players to stay. and when there is a widespread belief that tax differences between Canada and certain U.S. states is creating a problem for Canada’s seven clubs, being able to lure players like Bertuzzi away from American clubs is a useful process.

It might be a short marriage. But Leafs aren’t looking for love. Just a Cup.

-Damien Cox at the Toronto Star where you can read more on the signing of Bertuzzi.

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

Down in the count Sunday, Treliving knocked one deep by signing Tyler Bertuzzi — the best UFA available following the initial 24 hours of madness — for significantly less term than the power forward and agent Todd Reynolds were hunting on the open market.

The 28-year-old, top-six winger signed a one-year pact for $5.5 million and should have no issue eating the minutes and potting the goals lost by Michael Bunting, who joined Carolina for four years at $4.5 million per.

Bolstered by the deep pockets in Toronto, Treliving was allowed to hand Bertuzzi $4.725 million of his salary upfront and threw in a no-movement clause for good measure.

While Bertuzzi preferred term in the wake of multiple injuries and an expiring bridge deal — and told both former teams, the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins as much — the one-year bet with a contender is a smart play.

The Sudbury native and Guelph Storm graduate returns to Ontario to play in front of a large media market and fanbase that can boost one’s profile to financial gain. (Ask Zach Hyman or Luke Schenn or Jack Campbell or Ilya Mikheyev or Justin Holl or…)

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