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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Ryan Reaves, Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and John Klingberg in the opening 48 hours of free agency. GM Brad Treliving has been focused on augmenting the type of game the Leafs play, veering away from the pure skill and speed aspect to being more physical. After a number of players left via free agency, it appears that Treliving is nowhere close to being done making changes this offseason.
“We all know that we have some other business to take care of.… Treliving said at Leafs Development Camp on Monday.
More than anything, Treliving is looking to make his blueline more physical after they were outmuscled in the series loss to Florida.
"As much as the game has changed, some things have never changed. At the most important times, the rink shrinks. There's no space. We need courage and we want to add players like that. We've got really high level (players) and I think we've got a ton of them," Treliving said. “But you can't just have players that have got a lot of piss and vinegar who can't play."
Blueliners Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov are all entering the final years of their contracts, and Hanifin has communicated to the Flames that he will not re-sign in Calgary. Hanifin is a long shot for Toronto because it is well-established that he is looking to sign with a US-based club. Zadorov is a particularly mean bit of business at 6’6…, 248 lb., who had a surprising 14-goal season in 2023, while Tanev is more of a right-handed version of TJ Brodie.
Based on the situation with Matt Murray and LTIR and the negotiations with William Nylander, you could see more maneuvering over the next few weeks.