By Jim Parsons,The Hockey Writers
Copyright yardbarker
Stolarz called his first season in Toronto “a huge success,” saying he liked taking on a bigger role and gaining some consistency. It sounds like he wants to get to the season in “full throttle” mode, without the distraction of contract talks looming over the season. “I’ve been through free agency three times now, so it’s nothing new to me. I’m gonna continue to go out there and play.”
“I’m just a laid-back guy. I kind of look at it as I’m playing in the best men’s league in the world,” he told reporters on Thursday.
What Role Will Mark Giordano Take On?
Treliving announced that former Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano will join the organization in a yet-to-be-disclosed role with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, an announcement is coming in a few days, and there will be some other changes in some key executive positions.
What will Giordano’s role be and will it be exclusively with the AHL team?
Why is the Mood So Different in Toronto These Days?
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun described the mood at camp as “unmistakable” compared to years vibe. There’s a sense of calm and excitement that wasn’t there under Brendan Shanahan and with Mitch Marner now gone — not that anyone is blaming either for why things were so tense. Everyone feels lighter.
LeBrun said, “To me, it’s unmistakable how light the mood was compared to the past decade.”
He added, “We’re talking no more ‘Shana-Plan.’ How do they turn the page? How do they get better? Marner—that hung over the entire room the entire year last year. A few years ago, Kyle Dubas (was) entering the final year of his deal, then Sheldon Keefe (was) a lame-duck coach. It’s always a situation where you felt people had their hair on fire on this day and the story got fed from there. Not the case today.”
It’s clear moving forward that this is a team being run and constructed by Craig Berube and Brad Treliving.
