Maple Leafs not afraid to talk about success

TORONTO – Morgan Rielly went determination first. Brendan Shanahan doubled-down.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing thing the Original Six franchise hasn’t dared successful rather immoderate clip — speech astir hoisting hockey’s beatified grail.

“Our extremity volition ever beryllium to triumph a Stanley Cup,” Rielly, the team’s existent longest-serving player, said astatine the commencement of grooming camp. “Anything abbreviated of that volition beryllium a failure.”

Shanahan, a three-time champion connected the ice, but with a solitary bid triumph successful a decennary arsenic Leafs president, took nary contented with the defenceman’s take.

“I don’t deliberation determination is thing incorrect with players oregon teams coming successful and saying, ‘Our extremity is to triumph the Stanley Cup,'” helium said. “We’re surely alert of the results we’ve had successful the past. We’ve travel backmost with the determination to get that occupation done.

“I would beryllium much acrophobic if our players were coming successful present and saying, ‘Our extremity is to get to the 2nd round.'”

Toronto has done that conscionable erstwhile successful the NHL’s wage headdress era. But dissimilar past iterations, these Leafs aren’t frightened to speech winning.

“It’s thing that each azygous feline successful the locker country wants to bash … unluckily it hasn’t happened yet,” said Mitch Marner, a prima winger and lightning rod for blistering playoff criticism. “We cognize that we person the close radical successful determination to bash it.”

The feeling extracurricular those 4 walls was markedly antithetic successful the spring.

There was a consciousness monolithic alteration was coming successful Toronto — a metropolis with a Cup drought dating backmost to 1967. Shanahan fundamentally said arsenic overmuch pursuing the latest first-round playoff: “Everything is connected the table.”

The Leafs, however, didn’t interruption up the alleged “Core Four” guardant radical of Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares. They alternatively made a power down the bench, firing caput manager Sheldon Keefe and bringing successful Craig Berube.

“It’s evident the mode that we privation to play,” Matthews said of a fast, direct, north-south benignant the Cup victor preaches. “Pretty wide from the get-go.”

General manager Brad Treliving didn’t marque a large roster splash, but stiffened the blue-line corps with the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

“We’ve improved,” Treliving said. “Sometimes you conscionable gotta support hitting singles and doubles.”

The different large displacement was Tavares passing the captaincy disconnected to Matthews.

“I’ve been enactment successful this relation and this concern due to the fact that of who I am,” said Matthews, a sniping centre with 69 goals past season, the astir the NHL has seen successful much than 3 decades.

One rumoured determination that didn’t materialize was a commercialized involving Marner, who’s entering the last twelvemonth of his deal. He has been eligible to re-up his declaration with the squad since July 1 and possesses a afloat no-movement clause connected his existent deal.

Marner’s presumption volition bent implicit the nine until there’s a resolution, but the laid-back Nylander performed good past play successful a akin concern earlier signing his eight-year, US$92-million extension.

Treliving said contempt speech of titles, the radical can’t get excessively acold up of itself.

“We person to beryllium process-driven,” helium said. “If you instrumentality attraction of those details, you’ll get to wherever you yet privation to go.”

Hockey’s eventual goal.

“Always been the main focus,” Rielly said. “There’s been worldly that’s happened on the mode during that journey. But, ultimately, we privation to triumph together.

“We privation to triumph successful Toronto.”

WONDER WOLL

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The Leafs hoping goaltender Joseph Woll is yet acceptable to transportation their crease load.

The 26-year-old, who has dealt with assorted injuries, has conscionable 36 vocation NHL regular-season games nether his loop to spell on with 7 playoff contests.

“Great erstwhile he’s successful nett for us,” Rielly said. “If you instrumentality the parts of past twelvemonth wherever helium was steadfast and playing, there’s a batch of bully signs.”

Treliving said Toronto is assured attaching its wagon to Woll.

“Joe’s 1 of the apical young goaltenders successful the league,” said Treliving, who signed Anthony Stolarz from the Cup-winning Florida Panthers arsenic insurance. “There’s a process that you spell through. It’s a hard position.

“We privation to marque definite we’re supporting him.”

CAPTAIN MATT

Matthews, 27, was named the 26th skipper successful franchise past erstwhile Tavares stepped speech successful August.

“I don’t deliberation there’s truly worldly I request to spell successful and conscionable wholly change,” said Matthews, a erstwhile league MVP. “It’s conscionable proceed to effort to beryllium a amended mentation of myself and instrumentality steps successful antithetic areas arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a leader.”

Tavares, who similar Marner doesn’t person a declaration aft this season, said handing the torch to Matthews has been natural.

“He has my afloat support,” helium said. “Looking guardant to helping him, and for maine to proceed to bash my thing.”

DEFENDING HOME

Tanev, who grew up successful Toronto, signed a six-year, $27-million declaration aft his rights were acquired up of escaped agency.

“He improved our (defence) corps, helium improved our punishment kill,” Rielly said of the hard-nosed, shot-blocking blueliner. “Just automatically, overnight made our squad better.”

Tavares played against Tanev successful insignificant hockey increasing up.

“Really relishes what helium does,” said the seasoned centre. “Tremendous hockey IQ with defending.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Oct. 8, 2024.

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