At the beginning of NHL trade deadline week, GM Brad Treliving discussed his team’s recent play, his desire to add before the deadline, and the entry-level signing of Borya Valis out of the WHL.
What have you seen from your team recently — with the wins that they have put together — in terms of how it may or may not impact the approach to the deadline?
Treliving: It is all information, right? I think we’ve played well. [In New York], we weren’t at our best. You can look at it in two ways. We weren’t at our best, but we found a way to get some points.
I liked the energy level of the group coming off of the break. We have had a large group of guys who had a large break — like all teams — and then we had some important players who were busy over the break. I am starting to see the energy come back in those guys.
I am happy with where the group is at. I am not going to get into a whole lot about the deadline other than to say we are going to try to help ourselves. We want to try to help our team. Breaking news there, isn’t it?
You have to determine fact from fiction. What players are actually available? If you look around, there are still a lot of teams in the race. If I had to categorize it, it is busy, and you are talking to lots of guys, but in comparison to years past, it is a little bit slower. There are a lot more teams that maybe haven’t declared yet. There are lots of conversations going on.
We would certainly like to help ourselves. We will see how things play out.
How far along is Calle Jarnkrok? There is also the roster space and cap space situations.
Treliving: It is not that as much as there is stuff that has to happen — seeing surgeons, getting the final clearances, and all of that stuff. From a medical standpoint and from a clearance standpoint, everything is on track.
We will see. It is approaching now. We have a back-to-back coming up. He is a player who has been out for a long time. There are a lot of things to consider, but he is on the near horizon.
Jani Hakanpaa hasn’t been able to get back into the lineup. What is your sense of the team’s defense? Are you comfortable with what you have? Is it an area where you would like to add?
Treliving: We are looking at all sorts of areas. We went out and signed a bunch of defensemen. I don’t think you can ever have too many. If there is something there that makes sense to us…
Again, you are juggling. It all has to fit in terms of the cap, the prices, and the cost. There are certainly some areas we would like to shore up, but what is the cost? What is the contract? How do you fit it in? Ultimately, what assets have to go out the door?
Do you feel more compelled to take a bigger swing than a few weeks ago, given how open the East is?
Treliving: I don’t look at it that way. There are good teams. I don’t buy into the idea that from one year to another, it is wide open. The East has the reigning Stanley Cup champions. It has good teams. You always have to base it on where your team is at.
To me, it is not about taking big swings. Where do you think you can help your team the most? This isn’t to say we are doing this or doing that, but historically, if you look back at these attention-grabbing deadline deals, really look back at how many have really paid dividends.
Ultimately, it is more about looking at your team. What are the areas you think you can improve on? Are there players out there who can make a difference and move the needle? Sometimes, moving the needle is a small (move). Maybe it is not the sexy, headline-grabbing move, but are there areas where you can shore up? Ultimately, what is available, what is the cost, and how does it all fit in?
It is a long way of saying that I like our team. I would like to see if we can make it better by Friday than it is today.
How impressed are you with how some of the depth players, such as Nick Robertson, are contributing on this road trip?
Treliving: That was always the plan, for them to jump in. I always caution against slotting them into a certain role. Going back to the 4 Nations, I thought Coop had a really good comment. Now, you are talking about a lot of the best players in the world there, but he was asked about a role player. Everybody has a role. Some play more than others, but everybody has an important role here.
We have seen Nick, Pontus, and Kampf — their role is important. We have seen them chip in more recently offensively, which we need. Everybody needs that. It takes a little bit of the pressure off.
The narrative was that we need secondary scoring, and in the last few weeks, it is that we need primary scoring. We are going to need some other scoring before too long.
Any time you can get contributions throughout the lineup, it gives you a better chance to win and makes you a more dangerous team.
I’ve really liked Nick’s game. I think it has been coming. Sometimes, the results lag behind the process. You can build the house, and it is not looking like anything is getting done, and then all of a sudden, the house is done. With Nick, in particular, there have been results lately, but I think the process has been pretty good for a while now. You are seeing the results.
It is the same with Holmberg and a few others. We need them to keep going.
How would you assess the progress of Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten this season? How hard would it be to part with young players like them?
Treliving: They’re good players. To me, they are top players. They are going to be NHL players. We think highly of them, as we do with a number of other prospects. We think those guys are exactly where they need to be right now and are progressing well. We are excited about them.
How much of a priority is it to get any of your expiring players extended before the deadline?
Treliving: You’d like to always have certainty. It is like anything else. We will see how those things progress over time. You’d always like to get things done, but at present, they are not. We will see where those go.
Regarding Mitch Marner’s experience and success at the 4 Nations, what kind of impact could it have on the player?
Treliving: I think all of our guys played really well. I thought they were terrific.
In that tournament, it is hard to stand out. You are talking about the very, very best players in the world — all of the best players in the world who were able to play in it.
Obviously, Mitch comes out on the right side of it, so good for him. As I’ve said before, it’s just being around the environment, picking up things, watching how others prepare, and how they go about their business. Any time you can be around greatness, it is a positive thing.
To me, Mitch had his hands all over the success that they had. We know how good Mitch is. Being able to come through that on a positive note for him serves him and us well.
I thought Auston was terrific. Especially in that final game, both our guys were awesome.
What do you like about the new signing out of the WHL, Borya Valis?
Treliving: The staff has had a lot of interest in him for a while. It is the first day we could sign those players to contracts. It is a futures contract, so it begins next year.
He has a real good two-way game. He has offensive instincts. He has good size and skates well. Again, he is one of those guys who is a late-developing player, but our guys were really excited to get something done with him. They had been tracking him all year.
Without expending a draft pick, it gives us [another prospect]. We are short in the draft-pick pool. We’ll continue to be aggressive, whether it is junior or college free agency, to add to the pipeline.
We like him. Right shot. Big, strong guy. Skates well. We were happy to add him.
