There is one thing about GM Brad Treliving throughout his career as an NHL GM— he doesn’t tend to sit still. He’s always in the thick of the action, and whether he ends up coming out with the prize or not, he’s always right in the middle of it.
This summer is no exception, with the Leafs making major moves under Treliving, including trading Mitch Marner’s signing rights to the Vegas Golden Knights and re-upping John Tavares. Let’s break down each of his major moves this summer.
Re-signing Nick Robertson (1-year, $1.825M)
Just as the team and player were going to hit arbitration, the Leafs and Nick Robertson reached a deal on a one-year $1.825 million agreement. While far less than the player wanted, Robertson got what he probably deserved, given comparable deals signed for similar players. This gives him a year to prove he’s a top-six winger and also gives the team the flexibility to move him to another team on a reasonable cap hit.
Treliving is well-known for his ability to grind players down on deals, and this one is no exception. Robertson could be something special, and with the team having even more cap room than expected, this bodes very well for their ability to add during the season or at the deadline. Nothing outstanding, but great value.
Grade: B+
Trading a 2028 4th-round pick for Dakota Joshua
Without Mitch Marner, the Leafs needed to make smart gambles to add scoring wingers to the lineup, and acquiring Joshua from Vancouver for a mid-round pick was one of those moves. The forward had a frustrating season in Vancouver and was clearly on the way out. To get him for a late-round pick is shrewd work by Treliving.
A known playoff performer with a strong two-way game, Joshua is exactly what this team needs if they want to move beyond the first two rounds of the postseason. On top of that, with Joshua on a $3.25M deal, it’s a much smaller price to pay than what the Florida Panthers ended up spending on Sam Bennett. Joshua is likely a middle-six winger, but having guys who elevate when the chips are down is exactly what they need, and to get him for just a mid-round pick is exceptional value by Treliving.
Grade: A
Signing Michael Pezzetta (2-year, $812.5K AAV)
A hometown kid, the former Montreal Canadien is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and injecting energy into the bottom of the lineup. He’s not going to play top minutes, nor is he going to score a ton of goals, but he’s a reliable piece for the bottom line and an enforcer who’s not afraid to get into it with anyone around the league. For the comments that this team is soft, adding Pezzetta is a great move. Not going to move the needle too much, but for just over league minimum, it’s not a bad move.
Grade: B
Trading Ryan Reaves for Henry Thrun
This is the type of move a team like Toronto needs to make. The former Harvard captain struggled in San Jose and needed a new landing spot. If he works out for Toronto, it’s amazing not only for impact, but also given his very reasonable cap hit of $1M. If he doesn’t, he’s easy to trade or waive down to the minors. Betting on a 24-year-old former NCAA star is a smart move, and getting rid of Ryan Reaves, especially after his tell-all chat on The Hockey News, is a good move from Treliving.
Grade: B+
Re-signing Steven Lorentz (3-year, $1.35M AAV)
A consistent physical presence in limited minutes, Lorentz is a smart player to keep around for the Leafs. Not only is this a nice cost-controlling measure as the cap is expected to increase, but keeping the former Cup winner around in the room can only be good for the team as they hopefully inch closer to it. The 29-year-old could have probably been had for about a third less than he was, but the consistency of having him on the roster for the next few years is broadly not bad for this group.
Grade: B-
Trading Mitch Marner for Nicolas Roy
This one was perhaps the most disappointing, not only because Treliving had all the time in the world to either trade Marner or convince him to stay, but because he had been in this situation before more than once and came out of this one looking not great. Sure, having Nicolas Roy is better than not having Nicolas Roy, but trading a 100+ point winger for a depth centreman is worse than the famous Hall for Larsson trade.
Treliving was in this situation of being up against the wall not once but twice in Calgary with the late great Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. With Gaudreau, the first time, he walked away with nothing after Gaudreau made a last-minute decision to not re-sign, but with Tkachuk, who was clear he would not stay in Calgary, Treliving managed to get Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, a first-round pick, and a prospect. While Huberdeau turned into a dumpster fire in Calgary, the fact that Treliving couldn’t get more for Marner will go down as an awful move.
Grade: D-
Re-signing John Tavares (4 years, $4.39M AAV)
The fact that Treliving took Tavares’ $11M contract, shaved $6.6M off of it, and kept the extension at a reasonable four years is very good work for the Leafs GM. Tavares is still a top-six player, and even if he regresses each year of the next four until he is 38 years old, the contract still looks good.
Having him come in at under $5M is excellent work, and it’s hard to see Tavares anywhere else. Could have taken this one for one less year, but four isn’t bad.
Grade: B+
Trading a conditional 2027 3rd-round pick for Matias Maccelli
Just like with Joshua, Treliving found a player in need of a change of scenery and gave up a mid-round pick to acquire him. Maccelli has been an analytics darling for years and someone who has been highly touted despite his production numbers. Acquiring him doesn’t replace Marner one-for-one (few players will), but it gives the team even more scoring depth on the wing.
Maccelli is just 24 and comes in with one more year left on his current contract. He is also an RFA at the end of his deal, giving the team control over his next deal. If he can blossom into the player many expect him to in Toronto, the Leafs have done very, very well, and if not, it’s a third-round pick that was wasted. Given how this team has given away first-rounders like candy at the deadline, this is a good gamble.
Grade: B+
Looking at Brad Treliving’s summer in full
Put together, this has been a broadly good summer, but for one glaring concern: No amount of middle-six winger additions is going to make up for losing Marner for Roy. But between Roy, Joshua, and Maccelli, the team gains scoring that can be spread across multiple lines, as well as hopefully more energy in the playoffs.
Whether the Leafs are better or worse this season remains to be seen, but they should be a deeper team, with the ability to score more from the third line in particular. This team should also be better primed for the playoffs, something that has been sorely lacking for the last few years.
