Leafs GM Brad Treliving not afraid to go against fans’ wishes for deadline

The NHL’s trade deadline is just a little over two weeks away and teams across the league are getting ready to be busy prior to March 8. That includes the Maple Leafs, so much so that it prompted Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler to take a closer look at general manager Brad Treliving’s past deadlines in attempts to see what might happen in Toronto. There needs to be a solution to avoid another second-round collapse this postseason, and while the plans of acquiring some immediate help on the back, Treliving’s past reminds us that he is not a huge shopper during the season and has more experience dealing with picks than prospects.

Sadler also points out that Treliving could be seeking NHL ready players with term, and dares to add that the Maple Leafs’ GM isn’t afraid to do nothing at all at the trade deadline.

And she knows, that’s not what fans in Toronto want to hear:

“This may not be the news fans want to hear, with pressure at an all-time high for Toronto to make a real run this post-season, but should this year’s deadline end up being a quiet one for the club, it wouldn’t be the first time for Treliving as he navigates his first deadline at the helm.”

That does not mean this is what Treliving will choose to do this time around. The Maple Leafs have been linked to different coveted trade targets, including Calgary Flames’ Chris Tanev, Philadelphia Flyers blue liner Sean Walker and Nashville Predators rearguard Alexandre Carrier. However, the main issue in Toronto remains the tight salary cap space, with just over $1.3 million in long-term injury exception.

If that remains an issue, especially with players like Calle Jarnkrok and Joseph Woll getting closer to a return to the lineup, it may just be that Treliving will go back to his old ways and indeed stay put prior to the March 8 trade deadline…

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