https://twitter.com/kyle_cush/status/1664764420277387265

I really hope he doesn't get conscripted

https://twitter.com/ep_transfers/status/1664623625494773764

We can retain his rights if he is given qualifying offer

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee open with their reactions to Brad Treliving's introductory press conference, before they address his biggest takeaways, his to-do list and what is in store for the core four. The guys also give their reaction to the news of Kyle Dubas being name the President of Hockey Ops for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the suspicious and perhaps petty timing of it and if there is a possibility of Jason Spezza joining him. Finally, new Leafs' GM, Brad Treliving joins the show to share his thoughts on coming to Toronto, urgency for an Auston Matthews extension, using the Matthew Tkachuk trade as a lesson and his team-building intentions for the Leafs (31:26).

I don't usually listen to this show but seems like a good venue to try to get a read on Treliving's on-ice philosophy.

https://twitter.com/leafsnews/status/1664376210313338885

And also Overdrive (TSN 1050)
https://twitter.com/leafsnews/status/1664412495220465666

In the regular season, the Leafs feast on getting into the slot and generating a bajillion chances there. It works because penalties get called and teams aren't going to spend the regular season routinely paying playoff prices in the slot.

Different game come April-June: teams that can get behind defenses with regularity are the ones that cash in. Under Keefe, the Leafs pick their way up the ice for control at the cost of letting defenses get set up. One bobbled pass or a mis-timed pass across the top of the OZ and we're looking at an ugly rush chance against.

Valuable players for that environment (and all seasons): skaters who can control the puck across the NZ, guys who can get to board battles first and get pucks into the middle, players who are comfortable and successful with lateral puck movement. Probably best to use the regular season to set up your playoff style game patterns (at like 80-85% effort) so it's instinctive and reflexive.

So would you pull him off the PK?  I can see your point (bolded above) but man, it would be hard to do to a Selke finalist.

It's hard to care about individual trophies voted on by journos who just sort the nhl.com list by pts and name recognition. Wouldn't you rather the team as a whole score more goals than it allows and wins games regularly during the playoffs?

PK is all about effort. Marner has that in spades, but he also has tools available to him that 95% of the league does not. 2 SHG every 40 games while playing a riskier PK isn't really as much of a needle mover as having a fresh Marner buzzing at his optimal offensive output at 18 min per night, instead of his current 21 and change. We have Sam Lafferty in the fold, give him the PK minutes and let him generate shorthand rushes instead.

[In your final press conference with Toronto, you expressed how difficult of a season it was on you and your family. Why was this the right opportunity?]

This one's not that deep.

At the time he only saw two options for himself: Leafs or take a step back. Dubas decided against the option to take a step back, and then Shanahan/MLSE took away the Leafs option. To think that he's then not allowed to look at a 3rd option at that point is bizarre.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/06/01/new-pittsburgh-penguins-president-kyle-dubas-reflects-on-his-final-press-conference-with-the-leafs/

In your final press conference with Toronto, you expressed how difficult of a season it was on you and your family. Why was this the right opportunity?

Dubas: It was [difficult]. Maybe I was too honest that day about how I was feeling at that exact moment. But it is in the past.

When we came to the last day — Friday, the 19th — and got home the next day, we get inundated with calls and texts. People want to come over to the house. It is nice, but it is also sad.

Very early the next morning, I was on the phone with one of our staff there. I had a 647 area code call. It was a message from Sam [Kennedy] who told me that they had permission from Toronto. My initial inkling was that we needed to take a breath before we entertained other options. That was our intention at the beginning of the week.

My wife, later in the day, said, "I think you should go and at least meet with them. If they are great people, they have a long-term view of the organization, and it is going to be a great fit for you in terms of what everyone is about that you are going to work for and with, and the staff has a great feel, we are going to be moving anyway now."

Our kids are going to be 6 and 2. Leo will be in Grade 1 next year. Shannon's view was that if we are going to move, we might as well move now before the kids are too entrenched. That was a first step.

If there is anything to take away from the Cup finalists this season, it's playing fast and as a unified group. Simple games at a strong pace can really let your offensive talents flourish. Slow, methodical and too easily disrupted games wastes your goalscoring skill in DZ efforts.

I get that to a certain degree (maybe a large degree) Carolina got goalie'd in the 3rd round, but watching a team that was considered by many to be the most structured team in the league both offensively and defensively just fall apart against whatever the heck system Florida was playing made me question some of my beliefs about hockey a little bit.

Carolina always under performs their expected metrics. Defensively, very structured, max effort, but offensively, it's a lot of spray and pray. It sort of played into the hands of a D-shell/counter rush.

Some fundamental things have to change before next season, though, and top of my list would be a new coach.  If he feels like he has to keep Keefe to start, at least stipulate that there can't be the expectation that the current Regular Season Playstyle will work in the playoffs.  It won't, and they either need to change the playstyle fundamentally or else have a solid plan to transition to a new game in the playoffs.

Playstyle is going to change by default given the projected roster turnover.

So Treliving and Keefe are going to have to quickly get on a particular page about how they want to play, and therefore which types of players to pursue and whether or not the existing crop of players and prospects aligns with that vision.

If there is anything to take away from the Cup finalists this season, it's playing fast and as a unified group. Simple games at a strong pace can really let your offensive talents flourish. Slow, methodical and too easily disrupted games wastes your goalscoring skill in DZ efforts.

I agree with your analysis.  I do think, however, that Marner could play that style too, not just Nylander (if this is all about who, if anyone, gets unloaded for help elsewhere in the roster — which maybe it isn't).  MM is not all about lateral dancing and his shot has improved markedly.

I know Marner can fit that style (see JvR - Bozak - Marner). My reason for trading him has very little to do with him as a player and more to do with the cap balance, his significant trade value, and future negotiation. He brings a lot to the ice, as evidenced by how he plays defenseman level minutes regularly. If we're keeping him, as all signs currently point towards, it would be best to lean on his offensive contributions and pull back from his substantial defensive usage so he has more energy allocated towards winning games.

When he's on, Marner can attack the middle as well as some of the best skaters, and his shot, as you pointed out, is no slouch (pinpoint passers ought to be able to pass it into the net). It's when he's obviously reserving juice or sucking on fumes that he lingers on the perimeter and takes silly risks while his teammates are working hard to get open in the danger zone.

If I were coaching him, I'd tell him he at his best when he's not fishing for perfect passes, but sowing chaos and letting his and his linemates' skill weave their magic from that energy. He's a good fit with Tavares in that sense, as the captain is one of the more excellent shooters at converting uggo pucks into top cheddar goals.

https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1664310924243763202

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1664325167403921408
Jays with a Kevin in CF seems to do the trick

Some fundamental things have to change before next season, though, and top of my list would be a new coach.  If he feels like he has to keep Keefe to start, at least stipulate that there can't be the expectation that the current Regular Season Playstyle will work in the playoffs.  It won't, and they either need to change the playstyle fundamentally or else have a solid plan to transition to a new game in the playoffs.

Playstyle is going to change by default given the projected roster turnover.

So Treliving and Keefe are going to have to quickly get on a particular page about how they want to play, and therefore which types of players to pursue and whether or not the existing crop of players and prospects aligns with that vision.

If there is anything to take away from the Cup finalists this season, it's playing fast and as a unified group. Simple games at a strong pace can really let your offensive talents flourish. Slow, methodical and too easily disrupted games wastes your goalscoring skill in DZ efforts.

Whatever happened or however it happens going forward, it will always reinforce our individual preconceived biases.

To some extent, but I still think we can try to piece together better versions of what happened than others based on the information given, unless there's a full post-mortem like the Burke/Pens article.

Some elements of that have already been disputed by first hand sources
https://twitter.com/TaylorHaasePGH/status/1661842587752202240

Reality is whatever we perceive it to be

in addition to the Leafs hiring a fast-forwarded Kyle Dubas, the Penguins are in the nadir of what Toronto hopes to become.

AND Kyle still gets to have a Nylander.