Two Key NHL Signings Go Down, Pressure Mounts on Brad Treliving to Respond
Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
With the re-signings of Ryan Donato and Trent Frederic, the pressure is now on Brad Treliving to get some of his Maple Leafs players locked up for the future.
Free agency is set to kick off in a couple of weeks and with the Maple Leafs looking to make some moves, they are going to have to make sure they get the right fit for their brand new identity change.
But they should probably get their contract extensions figured out first before they spend elsewhere, and with the recent extensions of Trent Frederic with Edmonton and Ryan Donato with Chicago; time is of the essence.
Ryan Donato and Trent Frederic get paid after impressive seasons
Donato, 29, put up a career-high 62 points with the Blackhawks this season (31G, 31A) which earned him a four-year, $16-million extension on Wednesday.
It's a bargain deal especially for a Chicago team who is looking to make a big splash this summer and dont have to eat a ton of cap with this extension.
Donato has 229 points in 483 games and has been a bit of a journeyman in his career playing for Boston, Minnesota, Seattle, San Jose, and Chicago already in his career.
Frederic, 27, was a trade deadline pickup for the Oilers courtesy of the Boston Bruins, and he certainly ended up playing up to his potential.
He added a ton of physicality to the Oilers and had the fourth-most hits on the team this past postseason.
Between Boston and Edmonton he played in only 58 games while scoring 15 points (8G, 7A). That certainly seems to be an outlier as he's hit 35 goals the past two seasons combined.
Edmonton clearly wanted to keep him, given they signed him to a reported eight-year, $32-million deal; a massive payday for a player who only a few months ago was sitting on a middling Bruins team with seemingly no direction.
So where do these signings leave the Maple Leafs and what do they need to do?
Why Brad Treliving needs to act quickly
It's not that he needs to worry about his players being snatched up this week, as July 1 is still a bit of a ways away.
However, he does have to deal with John Tavares, Matthew Knies, Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz, Anthony Stolarz, Pontus Holmberg, and Nick Robertson's contracts.
Obviously a few of those players take precedent, but names like Lorentz and Pacioretty were crucial in helping the Leafs and could earn themselves a bit of a payday as well.
At the risk of losing them (or any UFA's) to free agency, plus a potential offer sheet threat to several of their players; time is of the essence.
It's a bummer that Toronto misses out on potentially adding Donato and Frederic through free agency this summer, but it just goes to show the importance of role players and how much teams value their skillset.
Plus, once he gets those figured out then he can focus on making the moves in free agency he needs to, or work the trade market to see what options are available.
Tick tock Mr. Treliving, it's time to get to work.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 18 | 718 ANSWERS Two Key NHL Signings Go Down, Pressure Mounts on Brad Treliving to Respond What is Brad Treliving's top priority for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Re-sign Matthew Knies | 553 | 77 % |
| Re-sign John Tavares | 39 | 5.4 % |
| Sign a Free Agent | 62 | 8.6 % |
| Trade Morgan Rielly | 64 | 8.9 % |
| List of polls | ||