Brad Treliving laid out his priority list a day after taking over as General Manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 31, 2023. The 18th GM in Leafs’ history can finally cross-off two very important items from that list.
After signing forward Auston Matthews to a four-year contract extension worth $53-million on August 23, Treliving extended the tenure of Sheldon Keefe in Toronto with a two-year deal just a week later. With both Matthews and Keefe now locked-up through the 2025-26 season and beyond, the necessity to capitalize on both deals is dire.
Birds of a feather
It comes as no surprise to Leafs’ fans to see both Keefe and Matthews signing deals only a week apart from each other. Since joining the team in 2019, Keefe has gotten the most out of the 25-year-old centreman, who despite an injury-plagued season last year, still managed his second-highest point total under the Toronto bench boss.
Matthews has seen yearly improvement in his game since Keefe took over for Mike Babcock on November 20, 2019, despite the lack of playoff success the two have mustered. On paper it would appear that Matthews continues to do his part with 31 points in 30 playoff games under Keefe, but compared to his record breaking 2021-22 regular season where the star forward scored 106 points in 73 games, the 42-year-old head coach has yet to unlock that level of production in Matthews come playoff time.
It’s clear that both Matthews and Keefe have the full trust of their new GM going into at least the next three seasons, but the short-term deals for both core pieces to this current Maple Leafs era gives the team a safety net if things don’t work out as planned. While a new head coach in Toronto has been previously called for by media members and fans, for now, both parties can expect a familiar face behind the bench to get things going this year.
The footsteps they followed
It’s no surprise that Treliving wanted to make changes right away and throughout July and August managed to make a flurry of them. Centred around toughness and grit, the 54-year-old dished out a handful deals that aim to make the Maple Leafs a harder team to play against throughout their entire season – not just the first 82 games.
Ryan Reaves (three-year, $4.05M): When talking NHL tough guys, Reaves is often considered amongst the toughest in the game today. Averaging 1.24 penalty minutes per game throughout his 828 game career so far, the 36-year-old veteran forward adds a history of toughness and pestering that the Maple Leafs have seriously lacked since the Colton Orr era.
Despite his name value being the majority of what he will bring to the ice, Reaves will have to learn how to throw his body around in a more disciplined fashion in order to keep a spot in the lineup – unless Orr’s 239 PMs in 82 games during the 2009-10 is a milestone Reaves looks to surpass.
Tyler Bertuzzi (one-year, $5.5M): Although he’s the most expensive one-year signing on the Maple Leafs’ roster, Bertuzzi is everything that Michael Bunting wasn’t and is worth every penny. A full-time top-six forward when healthy, the former second round pick comes with a knack for scoring goals while getting under his opponent’s skin without taking unnecessary penalties – a flaw in Bunting’s game that would have impacts in last year’s playoff run.
Bertuzzi brings the type of grit the team has been searching for despite the 28-year-old not having played a full NHL season due to injuries. Looking to recreate the magic of his 2021-22 season with the Detroit Red Wings, the Sudbury native can also use this season as a bit of an audition before signing a larger contract extension during the 2024-25 offseason.
Max Domi (one-year, $3M): Another name that carries weight going into this season is the return of a Domi to Toronto. Coming off his second best offensive season since breaking into the league in 2015-16, Domi is the most complete package on the list of players Treliving has wrangled together this offseason. This will be Domi’s seventh NHL team in eight seasons, but the 28-year-old now has the opportunity to create his own legacy for the team that his father did for over a decade.
The ultimate nostalgia-meets-talent signing, the Leafs certainly hope they’ll get what they paid for by adding another top-nine forward to the mix.
John Klingberg (one-year, $4.15M): The biggest head-scratcher on this list comes in the form of this 31-year-old defenceman whom, despite showing a brief resurgence in production during the 2021-22 season, has only ever played one full year in the NHL during his nine-year career. The definition of a true offesnive-defenceman, Klingberg knows how to hold it down in the neutral zone, can transition the puck well up-ice, and has been known to put up points with 407 of them throughout 619 games played.
With the loss of Luke Schenn this offseason, the addition of Klingberg even on a one-year deal doesn’t make a ton of sense even if their plan is to flip him down the road which will be tough to do at that price point. The biggest problem with this signing is that he’s the complete opposite of what the Leafs need on defence – a defenceman.
Martin Jones (one year, $875,000): Team-friendly deal for a veteran goalie who knows how to win as the number one and number two, Jones joining the Maple Leafs is a solid move for both parties. The 2013-14 Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings boasts a handful of career accolades throughout his entire hockey career and boasts a 2.88 goals against average and 28 shutouts in 444 career games.
The 33-year-old joins an already crowded crease amongst names like Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll, and Matt Murray who are all involved in the goaltending conversation – albeit less-so with Murray since his one-way ticket to Robidas Island. This deal simply makes sense and gives the Leafs stability in their goaltending tandem starting the season.
Look for Samsonov and Jones to be the team’s one-two punch between the pipes on opening night.
