Treliving: Maple Leafs have 'some DNA that needs to change'

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving admitted that the fabric of his team may require some alteration in order to get over the hump in the postseason.

"We've got to find a way to create the team, both between the ears and personnel, to be our best at the most critical moments. There's some DNA that has to change in our team," Treliving told reporters Thursday. "If you keep getting to the same result - and that's not to dismiss a lot of the good that happened up to it - when you keep getting the same result, there's some DNA that needs to change."

The Maple Leafs own the NHL's longest-active playoff streak at nine seasons but have only advanced beyond Round 1 twice in that span, never making it past Round 2.

The club failed to step up in those critical moments Treliving was speaking of, notably coming out flat in blowout losses in Games 5 and 7 on home ice in a Round 2 loss to the Florida Panthers this season.

"They've set the bar in our division. They've set the bar in our league. That's what we aspire to," Treliving said of the Panthers, who have reached their third straight Stanley Cup Final.

All nine of those Maple Leafs playoff runs have included Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly. John Tavares has been with the club for the last seven.

"When you run up against that wall, and it happens time and time again, that leaves some scars," Treliving said. "There's experience that you get from that, and the more times you go through things, but ultimately, you might just have to change something."

Change to the Maple Leafs' core could finally become a reality this offseason, as Marner and Tavares are both pending unrestricted free agents. When asked about Marner, Treliving said the two sides spoke at the end of the season, but he added it was too early to enter any potential contract discussions.

"I think Mitch is a tremendous player. I think he's a star. We're in that process right now," Treliving said.

"Mitch and I had a discussion. It's emotional right now. My discussion with Mitch was, 'Let's all take a step back, let's take a deep breath.'"

Marner, 28, is coming off a career-high 102-point season. However, he's developed into a whipping boy of sorts among the team's fan base for his inability to step up when it matters most. Marner has managed zero goals and six assists in 16 career playoff games when the Maple Leafs have had a chance to eliminate opponents.