TORONTO — Brad Treliving certainly inherited a talented core when he took over the Toronto Maple Leafs' GM chair.
He also inherited the pressure of hitting on cheap depth players in free agency — a necessary skill when stickhandling around a top-heavy salary structure, and something Treliving's predecessor had turned into his calling card.
Sure, Treliving was quick to receive flak for his bets on aging fourth-liner Ryan Reaves and defenceman John Klingberg (on whom the executive now has a mulligan).
But the executive is deserving of praise for so many of the small, under-the-radar UFA signings he made under a tight budget.
Not only are known commodities Tyler Bertuzzi (three assists in Saturday's 7-0 beatdown of the old boss's Penguins) and Max Domi (one goal, two assists) finding increased comfort and production with their new squad, but four of Treliving's less-heralded additions have all exceeded expectations.
Hit singles draw the listener in; great album cuts hold the project together.
"That's what you need for a successful team — everyone feeling like they're part of it," Mitch Marner says.
Speedy Noah Gregor ($775,000 cap hit) has become a fourth-line staple, improving his penalty-killing skills, chipping in five goals, and earning the occasional promotion up the lineup.
Rugged Simon Benoit and William Lagesson ($775,000 each) have provided invaluable emergency minutes during a rash of injuries to Toronto's blueline, keeping the Leafs in contention for the Atlantic crown by executing simple, hardworking shifts.
And now third-string goaltender Martin Jones ($875,000) has taken the starter's role with Joseph Woll injured and Ilya Samsonov unable to link a run of quality starts.
The undefeated Jones is rested and ready, providing veteran experience at a crucial position at a crucial point in the season.
(A fifth cap-friendly Treliving depth piece, Dylan Gambrell, was just named AHL Player of the Week. Perhaps he, too, will get a recall at some point.)
Auston Matthews didn't dress Saturday but described Jones's shutout of the Penguins "as clean as a game we've played all year."
Yes, despite a crowded IR and a back end that fans and analysts fret over, the Maple Leafs are playing their best hockey of the season, reeling off points in nine straight and 14 of their past 15.
"We've proven to be a very resilient group," coach Sheldon Keefe said Monday. "A deep group."
Credit the Lagessons and Benoits, the Gregors and Joneses.
But also credit the man who signed them for this very purpose.
Knies' phone 'blew up' after pulling a Gordie
Matthew Knies says his phone "blew up" Saturday night, following the first Gordie Howe hat trick by a Maple Leaf in nearly nine years.
As a bonus: Knies says his Minnesota-based girlfriend was here visiting for that Penguins game.
Having never dropped the gloves before tangling with John Ludvig, the power forward admits apprehension around fighting. He had messed around a little bit with Shane Doan, but hadn't sought out serious fighting advice, considering NCAA players are required to wear full cages.
(Fights at the college level result in an automatic one-game suspension.)
Knies reasons the best way to learn is experience anyway.
His older brother, Phil, who played for the University of Miami, told him that once you've got the first one under the belt, it kinda eases the mental hurdle fighting in the future.
Though unplanned, the fighting major adds another layer to the rookie's comfort in the league.
"He just keeps building his confidence up higher and higher every single game," Marner says.
The thing is, Knies arrived confident in himself.
That mental strength, more than anything, Keefe believes, allowed the winger to step so quickly into the playoffs last spring and make the jump to a top-six role so quickly this season.
"He really believes in his ability to go out and make plays and handle himself physically. I'm not just talking about how he engages in a fight the other night, but just more so in the battles and the competitive nature of the league," Keefe says.
The challenge for Knies, or any player leaping from amateur to pro, is consistency over the 82-game grind.
The Leafs have been mindful not to overload his plate. The team's decision-makers speak internally about Knies's ice time, his matchups, and his role.
"Quite frankly, that's part of the reason why we didn't play him coming off of his illness [versus Columbus Thursday]. He probably could have played in that game. He even took the morning skate. He was feeling better," Keefe reveals.
"But we just felt, again being mindful of what he's going through as a first-year player, that was just a lot for us to ask of a guy that hadn't eaten in a day and hadn't slept, throwing up and all that kind of stuff."
Keefe wonders if holding Knies back for extra rest contributed to his aggressiveness out the gate Saturday — a goal and a scrap in his first two shifts.
"Also, the hunger of missing an additional game makes you want to get back to it," Keefe says.
Matthews good to go
A surprise scratch Saturday versus the Penguins, Matthews did arrive at Scotiabank Arena with hopes of playing through illness. Ultimately, his body didn't cooperate and he returned home to rest and watch the rout from a distance.
"If you want to get into detail, I was just throwing up all afternoon," Matthews said. "Thought I could get to the rink and settle it down, but I couldn't."
The first missed game of Matthews' season drops the co-leader of the Rocket Richard Trophy race down to a 67-goal pace.
Matthews was a full participant in Monday's skate and will play Tuesday.
One-Timers: Ilya Samsonov stayed on the ice for extra work Monday after practice, suggesting Jones (3-0-0) gets Tuesday's start versus the Rangers.... T.J. Brodie (illness) skated but was not a full participant in practice. The defenceman's recovery from the bug running through the dressing room has been slower than Matthews', but Keefe is hopeful Brodie will play.... With Ottawa firing D.J. Smith, Keefe is now the NHL's sixth-longest-tenured head coach.... The Maple Leafs will honour John Tavares for scoring 1,000 points in a pre-game ceremony Tuesday.
Maple Leafs projected lines Tuesday vs. New York Rangers
Knies – Matthews – Nylander
Bertuzzi – Tavares – Marner
Robertson – Domi – Järnkrok
McMann – Kämpf – Gregor
Rielly – Brodie
McCabe – Liljegren
Lagesson – Timmins
Jones
Samsonov
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