Toronto Maple Leafs: Brad Treliving’s Christmas Wishlist 2023

The Toronto Maple Leafs played perhaps their best game of the season on Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were shorthanded for their game against the Penguins, and their 7-0 win  was a complete team effort.

Martin Jones was perfect in the net, the defense limited the Penguins chances, and the Leafs received scoring from seven different players.

The Leafs looked like the version of this team that general manager Brad Treliving mentioned in his press conference when he took over as GM in the summer.

They competed hard, battled for every puck, and stood up for themselves and each other. As a fan, it was incredible to watch.

With Auston Matthews and T.J. Brodie out with the flu, a 7-0 win is not what any fan would have predicted. However, the Leafs played hard and looked like a bonafide playoff-caliber team.

Obviously, there are a few areas that could use some improvement, but we can’t take away the effort we witnessed on Saturday.

As we get closer to the NHL Christmas break, I thought it would be fun to imagine what is on GM Brad Treliving’s Christmas wish list for this Leafs team.

I’m sure he’s hoping Santa has the Leafs on the nice list. Will Santa bring the Leafs an early Christmas present, or will Treliving have to wait until after the Christmas trade freeze is lifted? We’ll find out soon enough.

Here is a look at Treliving’s Christmas wish list for 2023.

Toronto Maple Leafs Wishlist Item #1: Heavy Hitting Defenseman

Leafs GM Brad Treliving has mentioned several times that he would like to add a hard-hitting defenseman to the Leafs roster.

He would prefer a right-shot defenseman, but I think he’d take whatever he can get. The Leafs are near the top of the league in hitting, so it’s not an overall problem. However, their blue-line – especially when fully healthy, lacks much physical presence.

Defensemen Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets or William Borgen from the Seattle Kraken would be good options for the Leafs.

They both are a right-handed shot and play a physical game. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick Peeke. The cap hit for both is very similar, but Peeke is under contract until the 2025-26 season, while Borgen is under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season.

However, if Treliving is not overly concerned with whether the defenseman is left-shooting or right-shooting, then that opens up many more possibilities. Mario Ferraro, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Jake Middleton are all left-shooting options that fit the Treliving mold.

Depending on which players the Leafs send down to the AHL Toronto Marlies, Treliving could have $3.19 million available due to LTIR use. That amount, plus whichever player the Leafs move in any deal, should make a trade easier to complete. (Salary cap information from capfriendly.com)

As good as Simon Benoit and William Lagesson have been good in relief during recent injuries, I think Treliving would prefer players with more experience, especially come playoff time. So, I don’t expect to see either of them on the team after the trade deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs Wishlist Item #3: More Bottom Six Production

The Leafs have received a ton of offense from their top six through the first 28 games of the season.

As nice as that is, they need more scoring from the rest of their lineup.

Calle Jarnkrok leads the way for the bottom six with seven goals. Noah Gregor is next with five goals, David Kampf has four, Nick Robertson has three, Max Domi has two, and Ryan Reaves has one.

Saturday’s game against the Penguins saw the Leafs get scoring from every line. That needs to happen more often because there will be games where their stars are not scoring. It’s not a huge concern, as it has improved recently, but I still think the Leafs need more from these players.

For most of the year, the Leafs have been playing Ryan Reaves and David Kampf on their fourth line, which severely limits the offensive output of the bottom six.

With Bobby McMann taking over for the injured Reeves, the Leafs could perhaps see some more offense from their fourth line, but with Kampf primarily used in a defensive role, most of the scoring in the bottom six is going to have to come from the Domi, Robertson and Jarnkrok line, and so far so good for them.

If Santa believes in what Leafs GM Treliving is doing, hopefully, this Christmas wishlist will be fulfilled.