Treliving did a couple of radio hits after revealing that Klingberg would miss the rest of the season earlier on Wednesday.
Treliving did a couple of radio hits after revealing that Klingberg would miss the rest of the season earlier on Wednesday.
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving believes William Nylander is handling the noise around his contract negotiations very well.
Toronto's general manager, after speaking to the media following practice on Wednesday, appeared on TSN's OverDrive later that afternoon to discuss John Klingberg's season-ending injury, plus the contract negotiations involving Nylander.
As Treliving does, he didn't reveal much about the negotiations at hand, though he did offer up an opinion on how the 27-year-old forward is handling the in-season discussions.
"I think Willy's handled it tremendously. It goes to show, I think he's got the ability to just block things out and just focus at the task at hand and he's had a heck of a start to the season, so I don't think it's affected him," Treliving said on OverDrive.
"Just managing from our perspective, just managing all the other things around it. There's a difference between an offseason negotiation or a UFA signing when it's necessarily not your player or the player's hitting the marketplace, to a player that's yours and you're dealing it in-season.
"The immediate attention's got to be directed towards the ice and the games and the performance and the team performance, and you try to separate that from business. The coaches and players got their job to do on a daily basis and us as a management try to work as quietly as we can off the ice to try to get business done.
"So, I think Willy's handled it tremendously. I guess that's probably a quick segue as an update there. I'm not going to get into a whole lot other than say we continue to work at it and I remain consistent with what I've said during this process, we'd like to get him signed. And it's got to work for everybody involved, we continue to hammer away at it, and our hope is we'll get to a good conclusion."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVhHiXk9rg[/embed]
When it comes to contracts in Toronto, the discussion is always available. Fans, media— you name it — everyone loves discussing negotiations. But when it comes to Treliving, does the attention to this very topic feel different than it did in Calgary?
"I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't," he told the trio on OverDrive. "You try to insulate yourself. The great thing is that there is that passion here. Calagry's similar, a Canadian market where the game means so much and it's similar to all the Canadian markets. Some of the US markets, some of the original-six markets where the sport is big, but there's just so much volume here.
"There's just so much volume here with the amount of people that follow the team. But to me, that's a great thing. It goes to show the passion of the fanbase. Now, you justt have to manage it. You try to insulate yourself, you try to block everything out. It's sometimes easier said than done, but you just focus at the task at hand and you can't get too high, you can't get too low.
"You come in and you try to be steady at the wheel each day, but as I said earlier, in the case of Willy, is you just stay focused at the goal at hand. And the goal, from a business perspective, is to get him signed. You try to eliminate as many obstacles for Willy as you can and just have him singularly focus on doing what he's doing on the ice and playing well and helping our team have success.
"Certainly there are some challenges, but when there's that much attention, that means that people care. And so, that's the cool thing about being in this market."
Both the Maple Leafs and Nylander have been tight-lipped about the contract negotiations. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Nov. 20 that Nylander's price tag has risen.
"The number has gone up," Friedman reported on The Jeff Marek Show in mid-November. "I think the Leafs were hoping to get Nylander in the 8's or 9's. I just don't think that is realistic anymore."
The 27-year-old has 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) through 22 games this season. He also broke and set a new Maple Leafs record for the longest point streak to start a season at 17 games.
Nylander is in the final year of a six-year, $45 million deal he signed back in Dec. 2018.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk40-guMlb8[/embed]
Related
Why Martin Jones was Called Up to the Maple Leafs on an Emergency Basis
John Klingberg to Have Season-Ending Hip Surgery as Maple Leafs Get Clarity On Defense
News from THN.com
THN Archive: Infamous Bruins/Rangers Brawl Led To Fierce Reaction From NHL Hockey Canada Unveils 2024 World Juniors Selection Camp Roster
Big Man on Campus: Meet 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Dean Letourneau