'The sooner, the better': Maple Leafs' Treliving trying to lock up Matthews, Nylander

NASHVILLE — Plan A of the Brad Treliving era is to run it all back. The big pieces anyway.

The new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs says he’s been “drinking out of a firehose” since he took over from Kyle Dubas four hectic weeks ago.

He has hired Shane Doan and has lost assistant coach Spencer Carbery to the Washington Capitals, but otherwise Treliving hasn’t made any significant changes to core of his adopted group. And if all goes smoothly, he won’t need to.

That means, yes, that head coach Sheldon Keefe will return for a fifth season behind the bench, and that Treliving is grinding away on extensions for stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander, both of whom are eligible to re-sign Saturday.

What Treliving has learned in his time chatting with his players and in his 17 hours’ worth of meetings with Keefe over an intense four- or five-day span is that there is a mutual respect and belief linking Keefe and the core.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking Keefe’s looming extension (“It’s on the to-do list,” Treliving says) and Matthews’ aren’t linked.

“Sheldon’s got a really good relationship with his players. They all think he’s a good coach,” Treliving said Tuesday in a downtown Nashville hotel, where he’s gearing up for the draft.

“He’s open to change,” Treliving added. “He's strong in his beliefs, but he also doesn't think he's got all the answers.”

After digging into hockey philosophy, individual player traits, and D-zone coverage with Keefe, his new boss came away impressed with the coach’s focus and “bright mind.” More pointedly, Treliving trusts that a fresh perspective (i.e., his) can help Keefe become a better coach. 

Further, Treliving hinted that some tactical changes will be afoot in Toronto, where the Keefe-Dubas regime long prioritized puck-possession-based hockey.

At the forefront of executing the Leafs’ modified game plan will be Matthews and Nylander, provided Treliving can take care of the paperwork.

He says he’s “confident” both will be extended.

And with the trade market heating up in Tennessee, there is urgency to do so.

“The sooner the better, right? I mean, the idea is when you know where things are at, you can plan better, right? When you know it's gonna be raining tomorrow, maybe pack a jacket. So, having clarity always helps,” Treliving said.

“Is it the be-all, end-all? No. You've got two sides that are gonna play a piece of this puzzle. So, we certainly would like that. We're certainly trying to work towards that.”

But, publicly at least, the GM won’t draw a hard deadline.

“July 1 the world doesn't stop. I feel very confident,” he went on. “I'm confident we're gonna get both players signed until proven otherwise.

“The dialogue has been good, and you keep working away at it.”

Smartly, the same man who got burned at the end Johnny Gaudreau’s contract year in Calgary, did crack open a window for Plan B. 

Treliving shot down the notion that he guaranteed his core security.

We’d sure like to, and we’ll try is the new We can, and we will.

“Oh, I don't think there's ever any assurances in this business,” Treliving said.

“If there's nothing out there to make your team better, then it doesn't make sense to make a trade just to stand up and say, ‘Hurrah, we made a trade!’ So, when you talk about Willy, our focus is strictly to get him signed.” 

The delicate dance on the Nylander file is getting the 40-goal stud winger a raise that makes him feel valued in comparison to eight-figure superstars Matthews and Mitch Marner. Not that Nylander wants equal pay, but he doesn’t want to miles behind.

Right now, we’ve learned, that gap is wide.

But there is a willingness to work towards closing it, so Treliving isn’t packing his raincoat just yet.

Will Maple Leafs trade their first-round pick?

Focusing on the coaching staff and core signings, Treliving has not had any involvement in Toronto’s draft strategy, which is being led by chief amateur scout Wes Clark this week.

Treliving did reveal that he'll be able to join the Maple Leafs' table on Wednesday’s draft floor once his former employer, Calgary, makes its pick at 16. 

The Leafs pick 28th overall and have no illusions of trading up in a draft that Clark believes will see a drop-off in available talent after pick 15.

In fact, Toronto — which only holds three picks total — may trade down if the prospect Clark has circled is still on the board.

“Obviously trading down when you’re pretty bare seems like the most sensible move at the time. We'll see how it shakes out again tomorrow in terms of who we've identified,” said Clark, who will be prioritizing intelligence and competitiveness.

“We're trying to take the best player available not today or tomorrow. We're looking at the long run.”

One-Timers: Treliving on Carbery’s vacated assistant coaching post: “We’re working on it.”… The GM did not tip his hand as to his plans for injury-prone Matt Murray, saying the team has three good goalies. Further, he tempered his optimism for Joseph Woll with some caution: “Joe, the young guy, he finished off well. I've learned sometimes those young guys that finish off well, it doesn't necessarily mean the start is going to be well.”… Treliving is a fan of Toronto’s Fat Bastard Burrito Co. (Endorsement incoming?)