As per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, “Hearing #Flames have reconsidered their approach w former GM Brad Treliving, after our report last week, and will not get in the way if any future employment opportunity arises before his contract expires on June 30.” This news comes after the Flames face criticism for forbidding teams to speak with Treliving about a possible job as general manager for another team, and as news that a spot just so happened to open up with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It wasn’t entirely clear why teams weren’t letting Treliving talk about future employment with teams after he chose to leave the Calgary Flames. His contract was set to expire on June 30th and he would have been good to go wherever he would have liked after that. The consensus was that either the Flames didn’t want him revealing NHL Draft strategies or they were just bitter, but the move didn’t come across very favorably with a good chunk of the hockey community. Then, when the team fired Darryl Sutter — not permitting Treliving to do so being one of the key reasons he elected to leave — it really didn’t look good on the Flames organization. It was almost as if the franchise was saying, ‘If we can’t have him, you can’t have him either.’
Now, with a few vacancies in the NHL having opened up in recent weeks, and one in Toronto opening up on Friday after news that the Maple Leafs informed Kyle Dubas they were going in a different direction, Treliving jumps to the top of many people’s list as a potential candidate. Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Leafs will probably want to talk with Treliving.
Could Treliving Be on Toronto’s Radar?
In Toronto, there are some big decisions to make and it’s clear from his time in Calgary that Treliving isn’t afraid to make them. He traded Matthew Tkachuk to Florida and the Leafs are potentially looking at having to trade one of their “core four”. With the return the Flames got in that Tkachuk deal, it might seem like the wise move to ensure the Leafs maximize any return they’ll get if they’re forced to move one of their key stars.
One has to wonder if the Leafs had any influence on this decision. It is possible Brendan Shanahan gave the Flames organization a call and asked for a solid? Where Toronto picks in the draft wouldn’t have had any influence on Calgary’s plans.
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