Treliving Takes Responsibility

 

Photo From TSN

With the Leafs riding a five-game skid straight into the basement of the Atlantic Division, GM Brad Treliving finally stepped in front of the cameras. He opened with, “We’re not where we want to be.”
No kidding, Brad. Last place will do that.

But because the standings are tighter than a new pair of skates, the Leafs are somehow still just four points away from a playoff spot. That’s the only silver lining right now.

Naturally, the questions turned to injuries. Brad made it clear he’s not blaming them—everyone has injuries, that’s just life in the NHL. He didn’t share much detail, just that Matthews skated this morning and remains day-to-day, and Scott Laughton is close to returning after skating in a contact jersey. Translation: help is coming, but it’s not the whole fix.

Then came the big question: his faith in Craig Berube. Brad didn’t hesitate—he’s got full confidence in his coach. And honestly? He should.

Look, I get it. Leafs Nation is frustrated, and frankly, embarrassed by the D-zone chaos we’ve watched night after night. But the calls to fire Berube are downright wild. This is the same coach fans were obsessed with last summer, the moment Toronto was linked to him after Keefe was let go. And what did he do in his first season? Oh, just win 52 games, claim the team’s first Atlantic Division title, and push the Panthers to a Game 7.

And let’s not forget last year’s “Barry Trotz is coming to save us” fantasy. Fans talked about him like he was a miracle worker, ignoring the fact that he would’ve been stuck with the exact same roster flaws. If Berube walked tomorrow, whoever came in would inherit the same defensive mess that’s sinking this season.

Take the Chicago game. Outside of two brutal D-zone mistakes, Toronto actually played well in Joe Woll’s return. But that’s all it takes—two mistakes. On the tying goal, Philip Myers got twisted into a pretzel. This experiment has run its course, and maybe that’s why the Leafs snagged Troy Stecher off waivers.

And then there’s the winner. All Jake McCabe had to do was tie up his man. That’s it. If he does that, Woll has a clean look at the point shot. Instead, McCabe—who has been struggling all season—decided to spectate, and Chicago walked off with the win. At some point, the players need to understand situational hockey. It’s okay to ice the puck. Stop trying to lob it to the blue line like a Hail Mary.

Now onto what fans really want: trades. Brad said you can’t trade your way out of this, but reports since the Chicago loss suggest the Leafs are actively shopping Brandon Carlo and Max Domi.

The Carlo trade? Aging like milk. Last season, he was a wrecking ball, hitting everything that so much as breathed. This year? One hit per game. One. If you’re not going to use your strengths, then what exactly is the point?

And then there’s Max Domi—our friendly neighbourhood defensive adventure. I respect what he does for the community, but if his last name wasn’t Domi, most fans wouldn’t think twice about him. He’s played for seven teams for a reason. Watch him tonight against St. Louis. Just focus on Max in the defensive zone. You’ll see exactly what I mean: any team with him defending is practically killing a penalty.

At the end of the day, this locker room needs a wake-up call. This group is too talented to be where they are. The opportunity is still right in front of them. They just need to grab it.

Frustration is fair—trust me, I feel it too.
But I still believe this team can turn things around. And when they do, we’ll all look back at this stretch as the moment the season woke up.

Thanks for reading.