New GM engaged in preliminary talks with Leafs superstar even before hiring became official

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, Treliving has already reached out to Auston Matthews and his agent, Judd Moldaver, to engage in preliminary talks and open the lines of communication in hopes of establishing a connection with Matthews that might help when the two sides get together to discuss an extension.

Matthews has said he wanted to stay in Toronto long-term and nothing has changed that. However, per multiple reports, he may not sign on July 1st as he may want to learn the team's plans and direction first. Perhaps that was the purpose of Treliving reaching out to the Matthews camp early - to inform them of what his plans are if hired and to gauge the level of interest Matthews might have in signing on July 1st after all.

Treliving's lived experience with the Gaudreau and Tkachuk ordeals last summer can help him throughout this process. Not only will he want to avoid losing another top player for nothing in free agency, but he'll also want to take the temperature of other stars in the organization to determine whether or not they're content with their current situation. If he has any indication that that may not be the case, he could look to make a move before anything goes public, much like how the Tkachuk situation unfolded.