Signing Matthews to contract at top of list for new Maple Leafs GM

TORONTO --Signing center Auston Matthews to a long-term contract will be the paramount priority for the Toronto Maple Leafs, new general manager Brad Treliving said Thursday.

Formally introduced after being named to the position Wednesday to succeed Kyle Dubas, Treliving said he did not want to rank the items on his substantial to-do list. But securing the services of Matthews, who has scored at least 40 goals for four straight seasons, is clearly at the top.

"Auston is one of the elite players in the world," Treliving said. "We're not talking about a good player in the League. We're talking about an elite player in the world. Getting to Auston is a priority. But outside of the contract stuff, number one is just getting to build a relationship. It's not walking down and trying to arm wrestle about contracts, it's me getting a chance to meet him, but more importantly having Auston get a chance to meet me and know what we're about."

Matthews, whose 299 goals are 128 more than any other Toronto player since his rookie season of 2016-17 (forward William Nylander is second with 171), is eligible to sign a new contract July 1, which is also the date a full no-movement clause kicks in on the final season of the five-year, $58.17 million contract (average annual value $11.634 million) the center signed Feb. 5, 2019.

The 25-year-old, who has led the League in goals twice, including an NHL career-high 60 in 2021-22, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2024, but said May 15 that "my intention is to be here" with the Maple Leafs.

"I've communicated with Auston via text," Treliving said. "I know (Matthews' agent) Judd [Moldaver]. I've got a strong relationship with Judd. There's a great personal relationship, Judd is excellent at what he does. We're not going to get into any public discourse about contracts. We know where these contracts are at."

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Among the other critical issues is whether to continue with coach Sheldon Keefe, who is 166-71-30 in four seasons with Toronto, with one Stanley Cup series win -- a six-game victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round this postseason -- the first time the Maple Leafs advanced past the opening round since 2004.

Treliving said he does not have a relationship with Keefe but has spoken with him on the phone since taking the job as general manager.

"As I said to him, it's a little bit of a unique situation. We can call it whatever we want, we're all big boys here," Treliving said. "There's been a change and he's in a unique situation, but that's the business. My outside lens of Sheldon, I look at a team the last two years as a full-time coach, 115 points and 111 points, I think he's a really good coach. My view on determining whether a guy is good, bad or indifferent, you have to work with him, you have to get to know him. I'm coming in with no preconceived notions.

"I think Sheldon has done a lot of really, really good team things. I look at how a group of really skilled players has gotten better at checking and defending and doing those things that you need to win. We're going to sit down and have a thorough process and try to do it as quickly as possible and come to a conclusion."

Treliving, who was Calgary Flames general manager for nine seasons until he and the Flames mutually agreed to part ways April 17, said the history and aura of the Maple Leafs was something that compelled him to take the job.

"There's a special feeling when you come in here as a visitor, when you come in here scouting, when you came here when you were young as a fan, it's the Leafs, it means something," the 53-year-old said.

Beyond that, Treliving said it was the quality of the players and the chance to compete for a Stanley Cup in the short term that really attracted him.

"Where we want to get to, I've got a responsibility to that group here to help them get to the level we are trying to attain," he said. "The real draw at the end of the day when you look at all the things surrounding this place, and it's a special, special place, the draw is the team. We're hockey people at the end of the day and this is a really good team. It's led by world-class players. It's hard to get talent, they've got talent.

"This team has put themselves in a position and we're going to try to keep putting ourselves in a position to keep knocking on the door, keep knocking on the door, keep knocking on the door and eventually push through."

Treliving said he will evaluate all facets of the Toronto roster but cautioned against change for the sake of change, especially to the core of Matthews, Nylander, forward Mitchell Marner and center John Tavares.

"Having those players excites me. They're world-class players," Treliving said. "We're going to review everything. I want to stress strongly I'm not about coming in and making a statement. You can throw a body onto the tarmac and it might look good for a headline, but are you getting any better? It's about getting better, and just being different doesn't necessarily make you better."

Though Treliving said he is aware of the disappointments of past seasons and the pressure faced by the Maple Leafs core, he stressed the responsibility cannot fall on four players if Toronto is ultimately going to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967.

"This is about the Toronto Maple Leafs," Treliving said. "It's not about four players, about two players, about one. It's about the 23 guys that we are going to have in this organization. The success of this team or challenges that we have isn't because of four guys or two guys or one guy, it's about the group and for a manager coming in.

"I'm pretty lucky to have the talent that those four represent as well as everybody else on this team."