5 takeaways from Leafs’ end-of-season media day

Multiple reports have emerged that Marner is likely to test free agency, as the Maple Leafs still haven’t been able to reach agreeable terms with his camp, led by Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris. It’s more than possible that Marner played his final game with the franchise.

“You feel the love and passion in the city. You are forever grateful for that. It is one of the best cities to live in in the world. I have been forever grateful to not just grow up here, wear this Maple Leaf, and be a part of the history of this team.”

Tavares very optimistic he will return to Maple Leafs, spoke to Treliving, Berube

John Tavares is widely expected to re-sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he’s already held conversations with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube to discuss his future. Tavares was excellent during the regular season with 38 goals and 74 points and though he could get more money on the open market, it appears clear that he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.

“Obviously, my contract is done,” Tavares said. “We are coming up soon on the time for decisions to be made, but there is still a lot of focus on the end of the season here and the difficulty of not playing today.

“I’ve had positive conversations with [Treliving] and [Berube] today. I am very optimistic it can work out where I am back, but I haven’t put too much thought into it. It has only been a number of hours since things ended.”

Tavares signed a seven-year contract worth $11 million annually on Canada Day 2018, and the expectation is that he’ll sign well below his previous annual figure, while still providing strong impact as a No. 2 centre, and a key part of the Maple Leafs’ power play.

“Everything comes into it,” Tavares said. “You want to make something work and you try to find what works on both sides – What’s fair for myself, for my family, and for the team and the club. That’s my desire, is to stay.”

Berube emphasizes the positives, believes Maple Leafs deviated from structure in Game 7

Craig Berube opened Tuesday’s session with an emphasis on everything his team accomplished, including the Atlantic Division title and an 108-point season. Berube also rejected the notion that the Maple Leafs are subject to unique pressure playing in a passionate hockey market.

“I really enjoyed working with this group,” Berube said. “I really liked this team a lot. I liked the people in the organization and the players — the buy-in from the players, coming in here new and fresh, changing the style, and changing the focus of how we are going to play. The professionalism and buy-in from the players was excellent, right through the lineup; the work ethic in practice, the work ethic in the gym, and then onto the ice, with the commitment they made this year. We all look at Game 7, and nobody is happy. That is understandable. But we did a lot of good things this year that I am very proud of.”

Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs were pummelled in Game 5 and Game 7 on home ice by identical 6-1 scorelines, leading to some fan discontentment bordering on a revolt, with jerseys thrown on the ice. Berube believed the blowout losses were largely due to the Leafs deviating from their principles at the worst time.

“The last couple of days, there’s a lot of things that go through your mind for these big games,” Berube said. “You may not have your A-game in these games, but what you have to rely on is your structure. When I look at these games and I look at the situations that hurt us, we lost our structure. Structure is very important, and if you don’t lose your structure, you can get through without your A game.”

Knies insistent that he wants to remain with Maple Leafs, wasn’t fully healthy for Game 7

Matthew Knies was emphatic in his desire to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Asked about his pending restricted free agent status, Knies repeated a simple mantra to two consecutive questions:

“I want to be here. I want to play here. That’s all that matters to me.”

Knies is the bridge between the Maple Leafs’ current timeline and the future, emerging as a bonafide star this year with 29 goals and 58 points. He is a burgeoning power forward that creates havoc at the net-front and on the forecheck. Knies-Matthews-Marner were the Maple Leafs’ most commonly-used units over the past two seasons and it’s clear that he’s making the most of the experience.

“I was pretty fortunate to play with the two best players in the NHL,” Knies said of his linemates.

Knies also revealed he wasn’t 100 percent healthy for Game 7. The 22-year-old suffered an injury in Game 6, after colliding with Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola in the first period. Knies was clearly labouring through both contests but declined to reveal the nature of the injury, while telling reporters he would’ve played in Game 7, no matter what.

“I wasn’t really 100 percent healthy. Not really going to disclose what it was. It almost prevented me to play the way I wanted to play, how much I wanted to play.”