![]() ![]() And I think the group was excited, just from his opening remarks to the first conversations he had with everyone.” Tre has come in … when he came in, I thought the page turned quickly. But you understand the business side of it. You go through a lot together, the ups and downs over the years. He’s helped me grow in so many facets and so many areas. He was probably the biggest factor in bringing me to Toronto, in terms of the management side of it and telling me why it was the right spot for me. He had a tremendous impact on me, on and off the ice. Tavares: “Obviously, a little difficult just because Kyle was here for a long time. So far it’s been really good, and I anticipate it’ll continue to grow and continue to bet better.” He’s been good at communicating and expressing his beliefs and his expectations for ourselves and the team. It’s been really good to have Brad come along with that change being made. As far as Kyle goes, I thought I had a really good relationship with him. And with all the changes that we’ve had, it’s exciting with the new faces. And obviously, you kind of let things settle. Matthews: “Yeah, it was a little bit surprising at the time. Rielly, Matthews, Tavares and Marner were all asked how they felt in those dramatic spring days when Dubas exited and Treliving replaced him. Siegel: The Maple Leafs' 'Shanaplan' needs a win His body language was unflinching, regardless of the media query. The new Leafs GM looked comfortable sitting at the podium Wednesday, his nine years in also-hockey-crazed Calgary serving him well. Quibble if you want with Shanahan’s decision to part ways with Dubas - and history will come back to judge that, for sure - but in the moment, it has afforded Matthews and Marner and company an extension of their window to contend without quite the same baggage.Īnd that’s because Shanahan picked Treliving, who so far has demonstrated the wherewithal to handle this milieu. That’s despite the core players all being the same, which is a neat trick if you think about it. The change at GM, as dramatic as it was, has produced a reset. Dubas’ future and the team’s playoff performance intertwined so darn tightly.Īnd so Wednesday, the air felt lighter. One left that opening camp day with the unshakeable feeling that Dubas’ lame-duck situation would hang over the team and influence the narrative in this wild market all year - which is exactly what played out, right up to the final hours in May before his dramatic exit.Īll season, it was there. Read more: NHL player poll: Who’s the top chirper? Which city should be next in expansion? What dominated the discussion that day was Kyle Dubas confirming he was entering the final year of his contract as general manager, sharing that team president Brendan Shanahan had told him in a meeting that summer that the organization felt it wasn’t the right time to talk about an extension and that Dubas insisted he was fine riding out his deal. Go back exactly 12 months ago to when the Leafs last opened camp. The air was deprived of the kind of weightiness that hung around this team all of last season. Before we get to some notable answers, I go back to what really stood out Wednesday.
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