Ahead of the opening round of the playoffs, GM Brad Treliving discussed the first-round matchup against the Senators, his team’s strong play down the stretch, the individual seasons of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the team’s goaltending, and the expectations for the playoffs.
How does it feel to be a part of the playoff Battle of Ontario for the first time in over 20 years?
Treliving: It is great. Playoffs are great regardless of who is playing, but when you can have a rivalry with a history like this one, it is great for the province and great for the game.
I had a chance to watch the Battle of Alberta back in the day. It is great for the province. It’s two good teams going at it. It should be a lot of fun.
How would you describe the emotions involved with the Battle of Alberta, and what sort of parallel do you expect the Battle of Ontario to be?
Treliving: Those are long-standing rivalries. If you look at the old footage of the Battle of Alberta and the Battle of Ontario, the game has changed a little bit, right? But it is high emotion. Great fan bases.
What makes it great is the investment — the investment the fans make, and the investment the players make. We all know that in the playoffs, everything goes to another level. The biggest difference is the emotional investment.
When you get a rivalry like this — and it has been a while since the two teams have played in the playoffs — there is just a great investment from everybody involved and everybody around it. It makes it fun.
It was an impressive stretch drive for the group. In what ways do you think the team is better prepared for a playoff push this year versus last?
Treliving: I like how we are going in. In the last six weeks, I have really liked our game. It is not just the results. The results are great, but it is the process of getting to the results. I like where our team is right now.
I know there is always talk about what is different or the same as in the past. The past is the past. This is a different group. Every year, there are new people. Every year, you have experiences from the year past. That is what we are focused on right now: this group of players and the things that we have done this year.
All of it gets parked. At the beginning of the season, everyone starts from zero. It is the same thing now. Everything that has happened in the 82 games is to prepare you for what is coming next. None of it is relevant. None of it gives you any kind of leg up starting on Sunday.
What has happened before has happened before. Now, we are ready to write a new chapter.
What is the biggest challenge going to be against the Senators?
Treliving: The biggest challenge is that we are playing a really good team. There are a lot of challenges. If you go right through it, there is a lot of skill up front and a lot of depth up front. It is a really good blue line that can move pucks. They have depth scoring, and they have top players. They play hard and are well-coached.
I know Travis (Green) has really instilled a defensive conscience with their checking. To have success, you have to check, and they do. And there is a Vezina goalie in the net.
They present a lot of challenges.
Will all of your injured players be available for Game 1?
Treliving: We will see come Game 1.
You have had Brandon Carlo on the team for about six weeks. What have you seen from him in his brief time in Toronto?
Treliving: I would just say he has come as advertised, right? On the ice, he is a big, long guy. We have talked a lot about it; they are just harder to get around. He is a sticky player. He has reach and length. We’ve seen the way he clears the net. He is a simple puck mover. His game comes as advertised.
Always unknown is the fit. How is it all going to fit? I think he has fit seamlessly. It’s not only just him and Morgan; down the stretch, we have had guys out, and he has fit with different people.
He has become a really important player, and we have added a really elite teammate. We knew that going in — the people in Boston talked about how great of a guy he was, and you guys have had a chance to get to know him. He is a wonderful person.
It has been a really good fit.
Anthony Stolarz finished with three shutouts in four games and eight wins in a row. What is your level of confidence that he is going to be able to sustain it into the playoffs despite the lack of postseason experience?
Treliving: I know everybody talks about the lack of playoff experience. What is the old line? “Experience is really important, unless you don’t have it.”
He is just a really good goalie. Our goaltending from both goalies has been the strength of our team this year. We have full confidence in both, but certainly, Stoly down the stretch… Well, both guys have been good down the stretch, but he has had a good run here.
He had a chance to see it firsthand last year. The stakes are bigger and all of the rest of it, but it is the same rink and the same game, starting on Sunday, as he has been through before. We have all the confidence in him and Joe. It is earned. It has been earned because they have played well.
Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg have played solid hockey down the stretch. There are some lineup decisions to be made as bodies return to the lineup. What do you think about them making their case to stay in the lineup?
Treliving: We talked about this last stretch. We have had a lot of participants. It hasn’t just been one, two, or three guys. It has been everybody. That is what you need at this time of year: everybody. We talk about depth scoring, and that is certainly true. You need a lot of participants in all sorts of different jobs.
They have certainly played well. That line, in the last little bit, has been a solid line. Craig and the coaching staff will have a lot of discussions over the next couple of days, but at the end of the day, you need a lot of guys available. Bumps and bruises are going to happen. Certainly, those two guys — and others — have been a real big part of the last month here.
The numbers suggest it has been a down season for Auston Matthews, but what has stood out to you about how he has battled through injury, been the captain of the team, and led the group to a division title?
Treliving: I mean, a down year… We talk about a down year because he didn’t score 69 goals, right?
I think he has led our team. We have talked a little bit about a change and some tweaks in how we play. I think Auston has been at the center of leading that way. He is an elite, two-way, number-one center in the league.
Just the evolution of Auston… Everything gets talked about with his goal-scoring, and it should — he shoots it in the net as well as anybody — but what he does away from the puck sets the standard for everybody else with the way he checks.
I know we can say his goal-scoring may be down, but I think his overall game is as good as I have ever seen it. Now, I have seen him for two years now, and he has been a top player ever since I got here and long before that, but it is just the way he sets the standard for how we have to check and play 200 feet of the ice. He has set the standard for us.
What have you made of how Mitch Marner has handled this season? What might it do for him going into the playoffs?
Treliving: I think Mitch has had a fabulous year. Again, what gets the press is the points, and he finishes with 102 or 103 points, so that is great. But again, how Mitch has played away from the puck…
There was a stretch when we had a lot of injuries. We had a lot of guys out in November or December, and Mitch really held the fort for us. The Edmonton game stands out there with the overtime winner. He kept things on the rails for us, and to me, that is sort of a microcosm of his year. He has been a leader. He has been a top player. I think he is in a really good spot.
What is your expectation for how far this team should go in the playoffs?
Treliving: We are going to worry about Sunday.
As I said, I really like where our team is at right now, but we are all starting at the same starting line here. We have a very difficult opponent. Every team is good going into the playoffs. We have a big challenge in front of us, and our focus is on Sunday and getting off to a start on Sunday.
We are going to have highs and lows in the series. It is about being steady at the wheel, managing the momentum both ways, and getting ready to get going.
