"Plenty of conversations happening": Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving reveals Toronto's new trade strategy ahead of deadline

With the trade deadline on March 7 approaching, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving discussed his approach to improving the team. The Maple Leafs are having a strong season with a 37-20-2 record. They are second in the Atlantic Division and have won four straight games, defeating the Hurricanes (6-3), Blackhawks (5-2), Bruins (5-4) and Rangers (3-2).

Speaking to the media, Treliving did not share specific plans but said the team is looking for smart ways to get better.

“I’m not going to get into too much about the deadline, other than to say we’re going to try to help ourselves," Treliving said on Saturday, via Leafslatest. "We want to improve our team—that’s pretty breaking news, isn’t it? The trick is determining fact from fiction and figuring out which players are actually available.

"There are still a lot of teams in the race. If I had to categorize it, I’d say it’s busy — you’re talking to a lot of people—but compared to past years, it feels a little slower. I think that’s because more teams than usual haven’t declared their intentions yet.

Craig Berube is in his first season as coach and Auston Matthews is in his first year as captain. Their leadership has helped keep the team focused. William Nylander leads the team with 34 goals while Mitch Marner has 56 assists and 74 points.

Treliving stressed that big trades do not always lead to success. Instead of flashy moves, Toronto wants to improve key areas.

"Sometimes, moving the needle doesn’t require a flashy move — it’s about shoring up key areas," Treliving said. "Then, of course, you have to consider what’s available, what the cost is, and how it all fits."

The GM also mentioned the importance of defense for the Maple Leafs.

“We signed a bunch of defensemen, but you can never have too many. If something makes sense for us, we’ll explore it.” Treliving said.

Toronto scores 3.19 goals per game and allows 2.83, ranking tied for 10th in defense. Its power play is 11th in the league at 23.2% and its penalty kill is 14th at 79.5%. These numbers show a strong offense but areas to improve defensively.

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said that he likes the current roster

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said that they are having many discussions and want to improve but he likes the current team.

"There are plenty of conversations happening, and we certainly want to help ourselves," Treliving said. "We’ll see how things play out. We’re looking at all sorts of areas. At the end of the day, I like our team. My goal is to see if we can make it better by Friday than it is today.”

The Maple Leafs have won only one playoff series since 2004. Last season, they lost to the Bruins in the first round in seven games. With their current form and a smart trade deadline approach, they hope to go further in the playoffs this year.