Reading the Tre Leafs: GM's Free Agent Pickups add 'Snot', Personality and Offense from Defense
From Tyler Bertuzzi to Ryan Reaves, it’s clear that Brad Treliving is trying to bring an edge to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On the opening day of free agency, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager addressed the media to discuss the pair of acquisitions that included enforcer Ryan Reaves, whom he signed to a three-year, $4.35 million. He followed that up with the signing of offensive defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15 million deal. More one-year deals were later dolled out to forward Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5 million) and Max Domi ($3 million) before wrapping up the first three days of free agency with the signing of forward Dylan Gambrell to a one-year contract worth the NHL minimum $775,000.
What do these signings tell us about the direction of the Maple Leafs?
Why the Leafs signed Reaves
At age 36, a three-year deal was lengthy for an enforcer but there was a sense that the third year was the only way it was going to get done. Otherwise, Reaves was intent on staying in Minnesota.
“The one thing in talking with the staff and looking at this group, it's a quiet group. I think bringing some personalty to it, not to say that we don't have personality on our team. But having a presence like Ryan will be a real positive influence for us.
On the ice, Reaves is going to be the type of guy who stands up for his teammates. Does Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett get away shoving and injuring rookie Matthews Knies like he did in Game 2 if Reaves is out there to answer the bell? Possibly. But the lack of a response probably didn’t sit well with the new GM when observing from a distance.
Off the ice, Reaves is aiming to bring everyone together with his personality.
Why the Leafs signed defenseman John Klingberg
Offense from the defense has been an issue for the Maple Leafs for quite some time.
The Maple Leafs finished second-last in goals scored by defensemen in the NHL last season with 27. Goals aren't the only measure of offense that came from the blue line but it's clear Treliving wanted to address the area.
Of course, Klingberg's offense alone doesn't make up for the trouble he has had keeping pucks out of his own end.
"John would probably be the first to tell you it didn't go exactly the way he wanted it to go last year," Treliving said. "But he's a really good player in this league. He can move a puck, he jumps up in the play. His ability in the offensive zone, especially on the power play, he's an elite offensive player in-zone. To me, he's going to bring us some more puck movement. Hopefully some more production from the blue line."
Although Morgan Rielly has been a mainstay on the first power play for the last couple of seasons, it'd be a surprise to not see Klingberg start the season on the first power-play unit. Of course, it remains to be seen which assistant coach will be running the power play with the search for a successor to Spencer Carbery (now head coach of the Washington Capitals) still ongoing.
At 6-foot-3, Klingberg fits the bill of a bigger defenseman who can move the puck. Treliving has been open about his search for bigger defensemen.
Why the Leafs signed Tyler Bertuzzi
The Maple Leafs were in need to pick up some secondary scoring left behind from the departures of Michael Bunting (Carolina Hurricanes), Ryan O'Reilly (Nashville Predators) and Alex Kerfoot (Arizona Coyotes) to name a few.
After initially talking about a long-term deal, Bertuzzi's camp pivoted and went short-term, eventually agreeing to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Leafs.
"I think there are goals with Tyler. But to me, there's middle-ice goals," Treliving said. "He gets to the blue paint. I think he's a good compliment to a lot of our players here. The skill level that he has, he gets to the areas you need to get to score goals.
In many ways, Treliving is describing what Bunting was for the Maple Leafs before the player found himself skating on the bottom six toward the end of the season.
Why the Leafs signed Max Domi
Brad Treliving was on the stage to watch Domi put on the Arizona Coyotes jersey for the first time. Shane Doan, who is now assistant to Treliving and was Domi's first NHL captain, played a role in talking up Domi about joining the Maple Leafs.
"What I like about Max is also his versatility. He has center versatility. He plays the wing. He can move up and down," Treliving said before mentioning later that if the season were to start today, they'd have him penciled for the wing. "He is a much more mature player. He understands the things now that are important. It is not all about points."
Domi is coming off of consecutive season with deep playoff runs. In 2022 with the Carolina Hurricanes before joining the Dallas Stars by way of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023.
Why the Leafs signed Dylan Gambrell
The Maple Leafs need bodies and Gambrell is cheap addition that will likely have to wait for injuries or other moves to get in the lineup. The 26-year-old had four goals and six assists in 60 games with the Ottawa Senators last season.
"I think he gives us more depth," Treliving said. "I am a big believer that you need lots of centers and lots of defensemen. He is a center and a right shot. He has played a lot in the league over the past few years. I think he is going to provide us with good depth."
He can kill penalties and he's a forechecker that could be useful to fill out a lineup.
The players Toronto picked up have very defined roles, with the exception of Domi and that seems a sharp deviation from Kyle Dubas. The former GM picked up a lot of depth players who could play anywhere depending on fit. Here there's no mistake. Bertuzzi is a top-six winger. Reaves is a bottom-line enforcer. Gambrell is a fourth-liner. Klingberg is a top-four d-man, provided he can fix his defensive issues.
Provided they stick to those roles, these are good pickups for the Maple Leafs. But if they don't work out, there is little room to move around.
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