Leafs GM Brad Treliving reveals why he didn't offer more players professional tryouts this offseason
A couple of short weeks back, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed forward Noah Gregor to a professional tryout contract. At the time, the move was viewed as the first of what many expected to be multiple PTOs offered. However, as training camps had approached, GM Brad Treliving did not add more PTOs as expected. Now, with training camps officially underway, Treliving has confirmed that he won't be signing additional players to PTOs, also revealing his rationale for the decision.
Treliving revealed this week that the Leafs didn't feel that they had a true need for additional PTOs this year as he wants to see what he has at his disposal with his current lineup. More importantly, he wants to see what the younger players have to offer. This is different from past regimes in that PTOs were used to give veteran talent a chance to prove that they deserve a contract, leaving younger players with fewer avenues to showcase what they might be able to add at the NHL level.
The 25-year-old Gregor played for the San Jose Sharks over the last 4 seasons, accumulating 26 goals an 51 points across 178 games. He scored 10 goals and 17 points last year in 57 games, primarily as a bottom-6 checker. The Leafs were reportedly interested in Gregor from day one of free agency, which might give him the inside track to signing a contract with the Leafs. It also lends to the idea that if the Leafs had simply signed Gregor on day one of free agency, they may not have signed any PTOs at all.
Treliving had a busy summer after taking over as Maple Leafs GM just before the draft and free agency. He signed Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, John Klingberg, and Ryan Reaves, while letting Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari, Micheal Bunting, and Luke Schenn walk. He also had several contract negotiations that he had dealt with over the summer, most notably that of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Sheldon Keefe. With all of this going on, it didn't leave Treliving with a whole lot of time to assess his roster and learn about what every piece within the organization has to offer.
It's an interesting approach from Treliving here. Not only is he giving his younger players within the organization more of a spotlight, but he's also able to now learn about these players on the fly and make his decisions based on where guys are now without and preconceived notions about players before he arrived. Will his decision lead to more opportunities for younger players this season? That remains to be seen, but the fresh approach and doing something different is certainly nice to see.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 22 | 149 ANSWERS Leafs GM Brad Treliving reveals why he didn't offer more players professional tryouts this offseason Should the Leafs have signed more than one PTO this offseason? | ||
| No, giving younger players a chance is smart | 103 | 69.1 % |
| Yes, more options is a smarter choice | 26 | 17.4 % |
| Don't care either way | 20 | 13.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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