How Brad Treliving helped transform a key weakness for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
For as much criticism he may get for his transactions so far, Brad Treliving deserves credit for turning Toronto's weak penalty kill into a force to be reckoned with.
The tenure of Brad Treliving in Toronto can be called tenuous. Not that he has any issues with upper management that we know of, but more so because his track record in signings and trades have been a bit underwhelming all things considered.
For every John Tavares extension there's a Ryan Reaves deal. Matthew Knies was locked up, but the team dished off Fraser Minten and a slew of draft picks.
Brad Treliving's best work deserves its flowers
There's both good and bad to come out of his roster moves but the Maple Leafs GM does deserve his flowers for making one thing glaringly clear as of late: Toronto will not let you score on the power-play.
Over the last 18 games (since Dec. 1), the team has killed off 34 of 37 penalties for a staggering 91.9% success rate. They nearly have as many shorthanded goals than they've given up power-play goals in the same frame.
A lot of that has to do with Scott Laughton, who came back earlier this season after a foot injury and decided to put the team on his back. When Toronto brought him in last year it was unclear how he would really fit in but now it's a lot clearer.
He was 19-1 in the face-off circle on Thursday night, spent nearly four minutes shorthanded, and managed to score the game-tying goal on the disadvantage.
It's not just Treliving (or Scott Laughton) who deserve all the credit
He deserves a lot of credit but so too does a new face in Nicolas Roy. Coming over in the Mitch Marner blockbuster, Roy has been a killer as well in the face-off dot, he's winning board battles, and being that defensive force fans expected when brought in.
Couple that with a resurgent Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz being the workhorse he is, and Troy Stecher coming in to play huge minutes as well; this is a team that will make sure they do everything in their power to stop opponents from scoring (at least on the power-play).
The team now sits third in the NHL with an 84.5% PK success rate, only behind Buffalo and Colorado but with more strong performances can definitely shoot them potentially to the top of the league.
Brad Treliving traded away some pretty big pieces in his quest to change the identity of the Toronto Maple Leafs. While he may not have done a complete makeover, at least the penalty kill is as solid as it ever has been.
Which could be a huge reason why they are able to keep themselves afloat in a wide open Atlantic Division.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 9 | 1220 ANSWERS How Brad Treliving helped transform a key weakness for the Maple Leafs Do you think the Maple Leafs are the best PK team in the NHL right now? | ||
| Yes | 800 | 65.6 % |
| No | 420 | 34.4 % |
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