Brad Treliving Reveals Surprising Differences Between Leafs Under Berube and Keefe

Darren Dreger: Why was Craig the right coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs at this time, and what do you expect is going to be different on and off the ice with him at the helm?

Brad Treliving: No. 1 - I think we've got really good players. And I've said all along that I've enjoyed my time with Sheldon [Keefe] - I think he's a hell of a coach. I think he's going to be a real good coach for a long time in this league. Sometimes it's just time.

So we made the change and then we went out. And sitting with Craig and going through the process - first of all, going through the interview process and everybody we talked to - and we talked to a lot of players. And it wasn't just the guys who played on the power play.

Three things came real clear. There's a real directness - there's a real clarity in his message, there's no grey area. His ability to connect with players, hold players accountable. And then there's just real clarity on team and individual play - everybody has got a role and there's no confusion over how he wants his teams to play. And that's really what I've seen. He walks into the room and there's no need to guess who's in charge. He's got real presence to him.

Publicly, I think Craig keeps his cards pretty close to the vest. He's a real smart guy. I think he's a motivator, but he's really dialed in to the X's and O's and the technical aspect of the game. But's he's got a real unique ability to take all that information in and deliver it in a concise and clear message - both from team play and individual play.

Everybody's going to have a role, everybody's going to know what that role is and what's expected of them individually. He's real clear on how he wants the team to play - and that's from Player 1 to Player 20 on the roster. And everybody's important - we're not going to be able to achieve the things we want to achieve without everyone. And whatever that role is, it's absolutely critical to team success.

I've been really impressed so far. We've joked that, «everybody's happy now and everybody's undefeated,» but the live bullets will start on Wednesday. He's just a real impressive guy and I've really enjoyed not only the camp, but the summer we've spent together and watching his interaction with the players. An impressive guy.