David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs Take First Step in General Manager Search

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Apr 7, 2026 12:32 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2025 NHL season with hopes of making a deep postseason run, but they are about to finish it by failing to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Toronto’s streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances came to an end a few days ago, capping a season in which the team fell to the bottom of the standings early in the campaign, never recovered, and ultimately failed to meet expectations by a large margin.

That downturn led to the firing of general manager Brad Treliving at the end of March. Treliving had spent three seasons attempting to reshape a roster already featuring a strong core of superstars, but he couldn't get it over the hump.

Team president and CEO Keith Pelley addressed the media a day after the firing and made clear the importance of the next hire.

“This will be the most important decision I make during my tenure at MLSE,” Pelley said.

The Toronto Maple Leafs logo on the offices of the Air Canada Centre.Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

Pelley also emphasized urgency in the process as the organization looks to stabilize its hockey operations structure, if possible, right after the regular-season finale next week.

“The No. 1 goal right now is for us to move as quick as we possibly can into an exhaustive search to put somebody in place to run hockey operations who will be able to make those decisions,” Pelley said.

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, the franchise took the first step toward that new chapter on Tuesday.

"Hearing Maple Leafs using Neil Glasberg and PBI Sports to search for Leafs new head of hockey operations. PBI was used to find execs in Vancouver, Anaheim and Philadelphia," Fox reported. "Glasberg's The Coaches Agency is the name of the company running the search. This is the firm's sixth search for an NHL club but first for the Leafs."

Clarification: Glasberg's The Coaches Agency is the name of the company running the search. This is the firm's sixth search for an NHL club but first for the Leafs. https://t.co/fjjCFpKCmT
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) April 7, 2026

According to Jim Parsons of The Hockey Writers , Glasberg’s firm already led executive searches that resulted in hires such as Jim Rutherford in Vancouver, Pat Verbeek in Anaheim and Keith Jones in Philadelphia.

The Maple Leafs look poised to make changes before the next event of importance for the organization, given Toronto's position in the standings: the NHL Draft Combine, scheduled to begin May 31.

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

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