Brad Treliving was officially introduced as the newest general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, and he made it clear that locking up Auston Matthews is top priority on his to-do list in the new role.
“I have had a chance to communicate with Auston,” Treliving said at his introductory press conference. “I communicated via text. I have a good relationship with [his agent Judd Moldaver]. You'll find with me that I will not get into any public discussions on player contracts. Auston is an elite player. Getting to Auston is a priority, but No. 1 is getting down and meeting Auston and Auston getting to know me.”
Treliving confirmed that he would fly to Arizona to meet with Leafs best player Auston Matthews, who has one year left on his contract before he's set to become an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, he will have a no-movement clause that kicks in for the final year.
The 53-year-old Treliving was officially introduced in Toronto just a half an hour after Kyle Dubas was named the second President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday morning.
So, it's Dubas from Toronto to Pittsburgh and Treliving from Calgary to Toronto.
“From afar, and for me, the Leafs have lots of skill and lots of talent,” Brad Treliving continued. “For me, this was an elite team 5-on-5, they were 14th in the league in chances against…I've seen an evolution of that here, and now we have do is dig in and find solutions to issues we have.”
Without a doubt, it'll be a busy offseason dealing with contracts and free agents and a critical 2023-24 season in Toronto for the franchise's newest front office hire.
Follow Us
Subscribe