Brad Treliving’s Most Important Task As Toronto Maple Leafs GM

The Toronto Maple Leafs new General Manager, Brad Treleving, has one task that takes precedence over all other.

The Toronto Maple Leafs best player has to sign for the maximum allowed length.

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, Matthew Tkachuk, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl. What do those 7 outstanding hockey players have in common?

They all chose to sign 8-year deals with their respective franchises, giving their teams the flexibility and security to build around them with a long-term approach, buying into the idea of spending their primes in the cities they currently play in.

Unfortunately for Toronto Maple Leafs fans, that mindset has eluded their favorite team, with all four of the team’s top players going in the opposite direction, choosing to take the 5-6 year approach to maximize the amount of money they make in their primes.

With change coming to Toronto in the form of new General Manager Brad Treliving, it’s time to get their star players to fall in line with the rest of NHL’s superstars.

With Matthews extension eligible July 1st, Treliving’s first task was and always would be heading down to Arizona to speak to the 25-year-old, meeting him for the first time as a part of the Maple Leafs and getting a glimpse into Matthews’ wants and needs for his next deal set to expire July 2024.

As expected, the discussions have run wild surrounding the Leafs, with several reports suggesting the Arizona native will once again buck the trend across the league of signing an 8-year extension, looking for something short-term to maximize the amount of money he’ll make in his career.

Brad Treliving’s Most Important Task As Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager: 8-Year Deals

For Matthews, that sounds just great. Good for him, all the power to you, get all the money you want and deserve.

But, sadly, the National Hockey League run by Gary Bettman doesn’t work that way. The salary cap increase has been stagnant throughout the years, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs specifically a tough time to add to their roster with their “core four” making close to $40 million AAV (average annual salary) per season.

With Matthews’ previous AAV being at $11.6 million per season, you expect that number to skyrocket given he’s heading to the negotiating table as a Hart Memorial, Ted Lindsay, and 2x Rocket Richard trophy winner. MacKinnon, who makes $12.6 million AAV holds the NHL’s highest cap hit, with Matthews surpassing that number as the next man up always does. But the big question is by how much?

Offering Matthews, the face of the 2nd richest franchise in the sport, 8 years and north of $13 million AAV is not insulting, right?

This idea that the Maple Leafs need to bend over backward, pushing every chip into the pleasing Auston Matthews basket doesn’t sit well with me, a lifelong supporter of the blue and white who believes it’s time about time a player proves he’s all in on putting on that jersey.

If Matthews, as he said, intends to be here long term, prove it by committing to the max years. The goal for one of the sport’s best players should be to see the team succeed, helping them do so in the process by signing a deal that is positive both ways.

Smashing the peak of the AAV in the NHL or demanding less than 8 years can’t be accepted this time around and now it’s up to Treliving to start that trend for years to come. The team has to sign both William Nylander and Mitch Marner in the not-too-distant future, with the 8-year deal being a necessity, unless as a franchise they want what hurt them in the past to creep its ugly head once again in the future.