Upon his arrival at the Toronto Maple Leafs, general manager Brad Treliving assured that he would not try to separate the core on offense. However, two of its members will soon achieve autonomy.
The Leafs payroll is a real headache. Together, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander alone account for almost half of the money available for the group as a whole. The results in the playoffs, however, are pending.
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However, everyone in Toronto is convinced that this quartet represents the present and the future of the organization. That Treliving has accepted this philosophy is a motivation for the players.
“We talked a lot about how Brad came in and stood up for all of us and our team,” Marner said Thursday night, according to Sportsnet. It was important for us that he did that. It’s not just four guys. It’s a team effort every night.”
So continuity was important to maintain. New players like Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves were also added during the offseason.
“You need your team to be close and everyone to like each other,” Marner said. I believe our team members have quite personal relationships with each other. We organize many events with our partners. We want to feel like a family.”
Long process
Captain and the Leafs’ second most experienced forward, Tavares knows the pressure on his shoulders and those of his teammates is high. The former New York Islanders wants to win and he also believes that it is with this group that he can do it.
At the end of the next campaign, however, Matthews and Nylander will become free as air. Preliminary talks have been started, it seems, but with what little wiggle room there is, big chunks could jump ship.
“There is the business part of it. Sometimes that process has to go a bit and takes time, Tavares said of the contract negotiations. These are not things that are done simply, quickly, after a single day of negotiations. It’s a process. I learned it, whether it was for my contract extension on Long Island or when I became a free agent.
“It’s not always the smoothest process. But at the same time, the guys want to be here and they love being here and want to continue with our group. I hope everything will be sorted out.”
Right now, the Leafs are over the salary cap by almost $9 million. Even if Jake Muzzin were to remain on the long-term injured list, Toronto would still be $3 million overboard.
In short, let’s hope for Treliving that he has a map to find himself in this labyrinth.