Brad Treliving Finally Addresses Status of Free Agents Pacioretty, Lorentz & Robertson

The talk of the town for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer has been the whole Mitch Marner saga, the contracts of Matthew Knies and John Tavares, as well as what changes the team will make this summer via free agency and the trade market.

But there are several pending free agents that are still looking for new deals, mainly Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz and Nick Robertson.

The first two were signed last summer as veteran help for Toronto's bottom-six and their audition this year should give the team some motivation to bring them back again. In the case of Robertson, it's finding the right fit for him and if anything; this is his last chance to showcase what he has.

Brad Treliving is well aware of the situation, and he explained that he's working towards a deal for them, but things are going to take a bit of time.

In regards to Pacioretty, he Leafs GM mentioned he has been in talks with Pacioretty's agent and things are looking like a return to the team might be in order:

It seems that a vacation did Pacioretty's soul good, and he's looking to make a return for an 18th year.

With Lorentz, a surprising boost to the fourth line who added a ton of physicality with a touch of scoring, Treliving was confident that a contract with the Toronto-born forward will be done soon:

Finally, the most polarizing player on the list, Robertson. Expected to bring a lot of scoring potential, the forward has been hot and cold, and was scratched for the majority of the playoffs.

He hasn't shown anything near the likes of his brother Jason, but according to the GM, it seems they are still very interested in what he can bring:

Treliving is playing it smartly with Robertson, and he wants to see where things lie with their bigger fish first before focusing on the smaller names on the roster.

In a word, yes. But they shouldn't be too excited about paying them a lot though. These are smaller named role players and they need to be paid as such.

Does that mean that they deserve essentially the league minimum? Not necessarily, but if you can sign both Pacioretty and Lorentz for a combined $2.5-million then it'll be a shrewd bit of business that gives them a solid contingent in their bottom half that clearly fit into Craig Berube's lineup.

Pacioretty dealt with injuries this season, but managed 13 points in 35 games (8G, 5A) but was a pleasant surprise in the postseason, adding eight points in 11 games (3G, 5A).

Lorentz was much more of a physical presence this season, but he did add 19 points in 80 games (8G, 11A) though where his real strength lay within his hit total. He led all Leafs forwards with 199 hits and was a lightning rod at times, with five of his eight goals being game-winners.

Robertson on the other hand is a bit trickier, yes he made only $875,000 this past season, but is he going to try and convince them to take a chance on him yet again?

He's wanted to be traded multiple times, his performance while great at times, leaves a lot to be desired, and he might not be a fit in the lineup especially if Toronto is trying to change their DNA.

But his potential as a 15-20 goal scorer is enticing, he just needs to start being more consistent when it comes to putting the puck in the net; none of this three game streak then a 20-game absence.

Robertson had 22 points in 69 games (15G, 7A) which gave him a career high 15 goals, but he nearly had his assists cut in half, and he wasn't the strongest defensively.

All three men are cheap options for Brad Treliving to bring back, and so long as they don't overpay, we'll see three familiar faces come October, though nothing is guaranteed.