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Maple Leafs GM Declares Himself 'Huge Fan' of Pending Free Agent

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 30, 2025 7:32 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs are starting to navigate a pivotal offseason after another playoff exit raised pressure to re-evaluate their long-standing core.

Following a 6-1 Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, general manager Brad Treliving publicly acknowledged the need for organizational change and a potential shift in direction heading into 2025-26 during his end-of-season media availability on Thursday.

“We’ve now started the planning, and it’s early, for putting a team together for 2025-26,” Treliving said. “There’s some DNA that has to change in our team.

"If you keep getting to the same result, there’s some DNA that needs to change. That’s on me going forward.”

LIVE | Brad Treliving Press Conference | May 29, 2025 https://t.co/dgsNjVsgJz
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 29, 2025

Among the unresolved matters is the contract status of veteran forward John Tavares, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1

While both sides have expressed interest in a reunion, no extension has been signed.

“I’m a huge John Tavares fan. Had a really good discussion with him," Treliving said. "We’ve got to take a step back, meet with our group. How do we best move forward? What are the costs? All those things that go into a contract and everything else. How does it fit within the puzzle?

"So, we’ll see how that happens over the course of the next couple of weeks."

Treliving declined to confirm if an offer would be made before July 1, or if Tavares would be allowed to enter free agency and test the market.

“We’re going through that process right now,” Treliving said.

Tavares, who scored 74 points this season and added 7 more in the playoffs, stated on May 20 that he is optimistic about returning to Toronto after spending the last seven seasons with the Maple Leafs.

“Obviously, my contract is done,” Tavares said. “Very optimistic that we can work something out where I’m back.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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