A chaotic Maple Leafs off-season awaits new GM Brad Treliving. You just wouldn’t know it

Brad Treliving seems exceedingly comfortable in his own skin.

As the 18th general manager of the Maple Leafs was introduced to a throng of media in a news conference broadcast to the nation, Treliving made jokes.

He joked about Mark Giordano’s age: “Good to see him still playing at 75.” He thanked his new boss, president Brendan Shanahan, and said he got to know him through Raffi Torres’s many meetings with the NHL’s department of player safety back when Shanahan ran it and Treliving worked for the Arizona Coyotes.

And he thanked his “real” boss, wife Julie, who sat with daughters Ryann and Reese in the front row.

He thanked Kyle Dubas for leaving him a talented group of hockey players, and a talented front-office staff.

He singled out how important it is to sort out an Auston Matthews extension, the first question raised.

“I am glad we waited so long to get to that talk,” said Treliving, who parted ways with the Calgary Flames in April after nine years as GM. “I’m excited to not only get a chance to meet him, but thrilled to be able to work with him.”

He dealt with coach Sheldon Keefe’s “unique” situation heading into the final year of his contract under a new boss, and heaped praise upon assistant GM Brandon Pridham — the Leafs’ contract and salary-cap expert — whom no one wants to see leave Toronto and potentially rejoin Dubas, now president of hockey operations of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For an organization that sometimes takes itself too seriously, that frets over every little thing, that often seems so tightly wound, Treliving came across as a breath of fresh air.

He had many of the same takes as any GM would, that running the Leafs is “special” because of its history and Original Six status.

“It’s the Leafs,” he said. “There’s a special feeling when you come in here as a visitor, when you come in here scouting, when you come in here as a fan. It’s the Leafs. It means something.

“And so to me, I sit in front of you today excited, humbled, looking at this as a great opportunity, but also know this is a great responsibility.”

He dealt with serious matters — the franchise-altering trade of Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary to Florida — in ways that suggest it’s OK to have a little fun, to be a little self-deprecating: “(Tkachuk) reminds me all the time that his success always gets my name brought up. So he says, ‘You’re welcome.’”

But most of all he appeared to put fans at ease, a fatherly “everything will be OK” despite all the work that needs to be done involving the combine, the draft, free agency, contract extensions and restrictive no-movement clauses kicking in July 1 for Matthews and fellow star Mitch Marner.

“There’s a lot to do and the clock is ticking,” said Treliving. “No. 1, I’ve got to get out and see Auston. No. 1A is the other contractual issues. We’ve got a coach that we’ve got to get some clarity and meet with.

“We’ve got to get to know the staff. We’ve got a draft to prepare for. There’s the communication amongst the managers community. I’m a little bit behind here right now. So there’s a lot to get done.”

He didn’t come right out and say it, but it sounds as if he’s going to do his best to keep the gang together. It’s fair to say he’s never had a core of players this talented before and he’d like to see first hand what they can do.

He even — perhaps unwittingly — referenced Mike Babcock’s first news conference when the former coach said “there’s pain coming” in terms of rebuilding the roster.

“There was a lot of pain to get good players, so having those players excites me,” said Treliving. “This is a really good team. It’s led by world-class players. It’s hard to get talent. They’ve got talent.

“To work with these athletes is going to be very special. I know there’s been heartache and there’s been some frustration in terms of where we’ve been in the playoffs lately. It’s a hard league, but this team has put themselves in a good position and we’re going to try to keep putting ourselves in a position to keep knocking on the door, keep knocking on the door, keep knocking the door and eventually push through.”

When the season ended, Dubas mused about possibly making a change to his core. It felt like there were going to be massive, franchise-altering moves. Two weeks later, it seems Dubas’s departure is the massive move and Treliving won’t be doing much to change what he’s inherited.

“I’m not about coming in and making a statement,” said Treliving. “You can throw a body under the tarmac and it might look good for a headline. But are you getting any better? It’s about getting better. And just being different doesn’t necessarily make you better.”

Kevin McGran is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran