Maple leaves have to change “DNA”, says GM Brad Treliving

Toronto – Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said the offseason will change after another early exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Not just the lineup, but also “between the ears”.

Treliving, taking the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as an example, said Thursday at a press conference ending Thursday that a team's “DNA” will definitely change, despite frequent season successes, continues to struggle in the playoffs despite frequent season successes.

“We have to continue to change and develop our mindset, we have to find a way to create a team … at the most critical moment, to be the best of us.”

Toronto won the regular season in the Atlantic Division No. 1 and beat the Ottawa Senators in the second playoff series in the past 20 seasons.

It looks like a breakthrough is expected when they won the first two games of the second round against the Panthers and rose 3-1 in Game 3 before returning the momentum to the opponent and losing in seven games.

Part of the collapse included a painful 6-1 loss at home in Games 5 and 7, which was even more frustrated in Florida’s most complete LEAFS performance this season with a 2-0 victory in Florida’s Game 6.

“The champions have the ability to stay calm and do their best when it matters most,” Trevi said. “This is an area we have to improve.”

Treliving said the loss in Game 7 “will live with me.”

“I felt really good that morning,” he said. “The atmosphere around the team…and we got the results.”

Treliving attributes to Florida, which just eliminated Carolina in the Eastern Conference finals to advance to its third straight Stanley Cup final and always finds a way to perform in a big moment.

“There's a reason, they're the champions, and that's why they're back again for the third crack,” Trevi said. “They've set the standard in our department, they set the standard in the league. That's what we're craving.”

The changes have begun in Toronto, with the team refusing to sign Brendan Shanahan after 11 seasons. Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, said he would not replace Shanahan, but would work more closely with Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.

Under Shanahan, Leafs rebuild a struggling team around Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares' “Core 4” forwards.

Despite the team’s personal and regular season success, Leaves has advanced to the playoffs in each of the last nine seasons, while Matthews won the Hart Trophy to become the league MVP and three Rocket Richard Richard Awards, becoming the top goal scorer – both of which faltered in the playoffs.

They have been 0-6 in Game 7 over the past eight seasons, with two of them losing on Treliving’s watch. Players seem to be struggling for a zealous fan base that hasn't celebrated the Stanley Cup title since 1967.

Treliving made some changes ahead of the season to try to fix the issue and added staunch defensive player Chris Tanev and goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz, who were injured in Game 1 of the second round for a fantastic season. Berube, an unquestioned coach, led the St. Louis Blues to a Cup title in 2019, and was brought in to replace the popular but ultimately failed Sheldon Keefe.

Changes this offseason may be even more significant, with Mana and Tavarez going to be unrestricted free agents on July 1.

Mana is expected to be one of the most important options on the market, and Treliving faces a daunting task when re-signing – even if the Leafs front desk believes Marner is still suitable for the team’s future plans.

Treliving, called Marner, said that he had failed the playoffs with most of the Toronto fan base, a star. He called himself a “big fan of John Tavares”.

But his short answer when discussing the future of UFA: “We will see.”

“Now that's exciting,” Trevi said. “My discussion with Mickey was, let's all take a step back and let's take a deep breath. I need to relieve stress.”