Toronto Maple Leafs hire Brad Treliving as GM

The rather short courting period is over, and Brad Treliving is now officially the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The move was announced today with a statement from team president Brendan Shanahan.

I’m very pleased to welcome Brad into the Maple Leafs organization. Brad brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of experience as a general manager and hockey executive in Calgary, Arizona and beyond. He has earned tremendous respect amongst his peers throughout his years in the NHL and has built excellent relationships at all levels within the game. We are confident that Brad’s leadership and strategic vision will elevate the Maple Leafs in our continued pursuit of a championship.

Treliving replaces the outgoing Kyle Dubas, fired by the Maple Leafs just before his contract expired this summer. The former Calgary GM released his own statement on the new role.

I am very excited and honored to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as general manager. I would like to thank Brendan, MLSE and its Board for their support throughout this process. I’m thrilled to join an Original Six team and recognize how much the Maple Leafs mean to this community. This is a very exciting day for my family and I.

The team will introduce Treliving to the media Thursday morning. He takes over as the 18th GM in club history, and has a huge list of important items to get to this summer. 

Auston Matthews and William Nylander are both eligible to sign extensions on July 1, as they enter their last seasons under contract before unrestricted free agency. The team has 10 other regulars who are pending UFAs, including Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting, who should have plenty of interest on the open market.

There’s also the issue of coaching, as he inherits Sheldon Keefe after another disappointing playoff exit, but without upstart assistant Spencer Carbery, who took a position with the Washington Capitals. Reports have emerged that Keefe may not actually be on the chopping block, though that has been said many times just before a dismissal is made.

Looming over all of that is a growing sentiment (at least among fans) that the core group of Maple Leafs is not built for playoff success. Matthews, Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares cost the team nearly $40M against the cap every year but have won just a single second-round game in their time with the Maple Leafs. A no-movement clause kicks in for Marner this offseason, and even more money would have to be shelled out to retain Matthews and Nylander.

It could be a dramatic few weeks in Toronto, though Treliving should be used to that. He’s the GM that had to watch two 100-point players walk out the door last offseason, when Johnny Gaudreau left for Columbus, and Matthew Tkachuk essentially forced a trade to Florida. Many praised the Treliving for making the best of a bad situation by landing Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, but Calgary took a noticeable step back while Tkachuk has just led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final.

If another massive trade is on the horizon for Treliving, Maple Leafs fans will have to hope he’s on the right side of it this time.