When the Toronto Maple Leafs hired veteran general manager Brad Treliving, the idea was to change the culture in the locker room. The team had already come up short 7 years in a row in the playoffs and this season represented the 8th. Now the team appears poised for a complete overhaul.
After years of protecting players, it now appears there will be a new level of accountability in Toronto. Yesterday the Maple Leafs hired veteran head coach Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe. With him Berube brings a Stanley Cup ring, a large amount of knowledge, but most importantly a sense of accountability that was previously lacking.
In Toronto, some players had received additional rope and were given multiple chances to succeed. It appears that is coming to an end. With reports that Toronto will break up the Core Four this summer it is becoming clear that changes will not stop there. After just one season under Treliving it appears the Maple Leafs will also look to move on from former first round pick Timothy Liljegren.
It took just one season for Treliving to realize that despite his potential Liljegren was likely never going to take the next step in his development. Now similar to former defense partner Rasmus Sandin, the Maple Leafs will look to maximize their return for the Swedish defender.
Reports indicate that Toronto have significant interest in Brett Pesce, Nikita Zadorov and other defenders, so it is likely that this begins the year that Toronto finally fixes their issues on defense.
