![]() ![]() “It’s (personality) not just off the ice,” Tavares said. Tavares said Bertuzzi, Domi and Reaves, players unafraid to mix things up in the dirty areas, will help Toronto with that, along with their ability in hockey’s dark arts - the game within the game - before, during and after the play. The Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning last spring to move on in the post-season for the first time since 2004, but were no match for the physicality of the Florida Panthers in the next round. “As he’s expressed to me, (Treliving) just wants to tweak the knobs and the dials to find the right mix to help us get to our ultimate goal.” It’s good to have a balance of things and guys that can come in and bring a different type of energy. “We have a very committed, a very driven group that’s under a tremendous amount of attention and spotlight. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Tavares said of adding vocal pieces. Treliving mentioned on the first day of free agency he wanted to liven up the team’s culture, describing the locker room as “quiet” to reporters. “Things have definitely sunk in and the page has been turned.” “He wants to come in and just continue to elevate what we already have going on with the group and how we operate. “Brad’s come in and he’s been tremendous,” said Tavares, who signed a seven-year, US$77-million contract to come home to Toronto in the first few months of the Dubas tenure in July 2018. Treliving also extended head coach Sheldon Keefe’s current deal for two seasons beyond 2023-24. He then inked Auston Matthews, who could have walked into unrestricted free agency next summer, to a contract extension that commits the star centre to Toronto through the 2027-28 campaign. Treliving shook up the roster in free agency, adding a combination of skill, sandpaper and personality to the group by signing forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves, along with defenceman John Klingberg. Now after a summer of change, Tavares and the Leafs are ready to move forward. “But that’s the sport, that’s the business. “Not easy, just because you’ve been through a lot with Kyle. “There’s been a tremendous amount of continuity in my time in Toronto, and probably the most significant shift and change that we’ve had,” Tavares said at this week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in suburban Las Vegas.
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