Brad Treliving Sends Clear Message on the Maple Leafs' New-Look Roster Ahead of the Season
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
New comments from Brad Treliving on the Leafs roster reveal he's building the exact roster he wanted.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke as the Leafs regular season got underway on the team's offseason additions, and how players like Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy are part of a greater push to get Toronto in a more physical mindset.
Treliving gets misconstrued as someone where size is the start and end for his roster building, in Calgary having developed undersized talents in Johnny Gaudreau and Andrew Mangiapane, even if they serve as exceptions to the rule rather than a mentality change.
In Toronto, Treliving still values an an emphasis on size and strength, something that more teams are seemingly pivoting to building upon after a renaissance in the 2010's of smaller forwards taking prominence in a more skilled NHL.
As part of Treliving's greatest roster vision, he says in new remarks that he's happy with what he's built this offseason with the acquisitions made, and the blend of size and skill inserted into the Leafs lineup.
Inside Brad Treliving's Vision for a Bigger, Tougher Maple Leafs Team
Speaking ahead of the season opener, Brad Treliving discussed his new offseason roster, laying out his vision for a team that is both much larger, and a lot more physical, the time of roster he's always wanted to build since coming to Toronto.
Treliving in a pre-game interview with new Leafs host Ryan Leslie was asked about the new-look Leafs, with the GM expressing his thoughts on their current roster appearance.
With Mitch leaving obviously, you know you're trying to replace some offense, some creativity, some playmaking, so Maccelli came in. And then Nic Roy and Dakota Joshua, we've added some size to our group, we added some depth.
You know it's funny, all the best laid plans. We practiced for a few weeks in training camp and then, as you know, bad injuries seep in and unfortunately. Scott Laughton's not playing for us tonight, so we've had a little shuffle of the lines, but we've certainly added some size in our lineup, which I think is important.
And so I'm excited to see these new guys, they're excited to be here. They all bring a little bit of something different to the table but we're excited to have them all here. - Brad Treliving
You know it's funny, all the best laid plans. We practiced for a few weeks in training camp and then, as you know, bad injuries seep in and unfortunately. Scott Laughton's not playing for us tonight, so we've had a little shuffle of the lines, but we've certainly added some size in our lineup, which I think is important.
And so I'm excited to see these new guys, they're excited to be here. They all bring a little bit of something different to the table but we're excited to have them all here. - Brad Treliving
For Brad Treliving, the Leafs roster is one that builds on what he was working on previously with the Calgary Flames, and that's to be a team that has both size and strength, but can also create offense.
What Treliving's Comments Reveal About the Maple Leafs' Identity This Season
The Leafs have the heaviest team in the NHL this season at an average weight of 210lbs, and are hoping to use that size as an advantage to play a more physical style of hockey.
Toronto is poised to shed the reputation the team has had in recent years over being accused of playing too soft and without enough of a physical edge, now having more of the pieces to do so, especially with their additions in free agency.
The Leafs only have three players under 6'0 currently on their active roster, a trend that has been a polar opposite to former GM Kyle Dubas, who focused less on size and more on the addition of skill.
Although physicality is an apparent add for Toronto, the skill is still something Toronto wants, with Treliving even noting having to replace Marner in the lineup as important.
Treliving also views his acquisition of players like Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy as purposeful additions to executing his physical play style in action.
If all goes right, Brad Treliving's emphasis on a meaner Toronto Maple Leafs could go a long way in finding success in the playoffs roster Treliving has been looking for.
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