Brad Treliving Named Leafs GM

 

Photo From Globe and Mail

As you can tell by the title you know what this article will be about but first let me highlight some small news stories for the readers. On May 28^th the IIHF World Hockey Championships finished up with Canada winning their 28^th gold medal beating Germany 5-2 in a surprise matchup because everyone expected Team USA to play Canada for Gold, so a stick tap goes to Team Canada on winning it all.

All right now to the big news. We are all aware of Kyle Dubas being let go after asking for more money and full control of the Maple Leafs. A few weeks passed, and we fans heard all sorts of possible candidates. We heard Brad’s name mentioned along with the likes of Marc Bergevin who is currently in the LA King front office, and former San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson. I didn’t put too much stock into Wilson joining the Leafs because he walked away from hockey in San Jose due to health concerns so I would only assume whatever issues Doug was dealing with at the time would still be lingering. Then there was Bergevin who it was confirmed had a meeting with President Brendan Shanahan over Zoom, but Brad Treliving was the number one target for MLSE and the board. Yesterday afternoon the Leafs released a statement confirming the hire. Since Brad was linked to Toronto, I saw so many people saying Kyle should have been extended. I guess those people are forgetting he was offered a twenty-million-dollar salary over 5 years which Brendan had to convince the MLSE Board to offer. Toronto wanted Kyle to stay but he got greedy and tried to get more money and more power in his new deal. Kyle forgot that he and the Maple Leafs only won one series in his five seasons as Leafs GM so for him to ask for complete control in my opinion is a little crazy. Kyle thought he was Masai Ujiri the only difference is Masai was given control of the Toronto Raptors because he won a championship in 2019 and MLSE didn’t want to lose him to another team because. MLSE I think did the right thing in not giving Kyle full control. In fact, as of this writing the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Kyle Dubas has been named President of Hockey Operations so we will see how he handles that team with full control.

For those wondering what Brad will bring as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs the first thing is experience. He has been in a front office between the AHL and NHL for nearly twenty years with jobs as president of Hockey Operations, Assistant General Manager or GM. Before today’s press conference, Brad has been in the front office of two NHL teams and had had success with both. With Arizona in his ten seasons there, he helped guide the Arizona Coyotes to a Western Conference Finals appearance. He would then join the Calgary Flames for the 2014-2015 season where once again success would follow as Calgary would consistently see the second round with an occasional third-round appearance for the Flames. Of course, Stanley Cups are the most important thing, but we also have to consider that when you are managing a team and can continue to build teams that make playoff appearances year after year giving your team a chance to contend and compete for a Stanley Cup you must be doing something right.

I have already seen Calgary fans try and get their jabs in saying Treliving will make the Leafs irrelevant. First off, the Leafs will never be irrelevant because all 31 other fanbases will always talk about Toronto, but I also understand why Calgary fans feel this way and it’s because of the Tkachuk for Huberdeau trade. Fans are frustrated because Calgary missed the postseason and Matthew is playing in the Finals on Saturday. Calgary fans and Leaf fans for that matter need to grasp the fact Brad had to make that trade and it was good for both teams. Yes, Huberdeau’s point total fell off drastically, but I believe that was because of the style coach Darryl Sutter wanted the team to play. Yes, Brad Treliving was the GM who hired Sutter but there are plenty of people close to the situation saying that the Sutter hire was a decision made by the owner and if you think about it, the fact that Brad walked away from Calgary after this season with reports of he and Sutter clashing over many things that theory makes a little sense. Again, regarding the Huberdeau trade Brad had to get something knowing Matthew wasn’t going to sign a contract and stay with the Flames. Treliving addressed that with the media today when he stated he didn’t wake up one morning and say let’s trade Matthew Tkachuk, but he had to get something in return that would help Calgary remain competitive. Unlike how the situation unfolded with Johnny Gaudreau who had everyone at first believing he would sign a new deal only to tell Flames management he wanted to be closer to home. His home is New Jersey, where did he sign? The Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, I’m not a geographic expert but the states of Ohio and New Jersey aren’t very close but hey what do I know?

Of course, Treliving runs into a complicated situation with the Leafs as both Auston Matthews and William Nylander have one year left on their current contracts. Brad of course was asked about this and his answer was I believe to be expected. He answered by saying he wasn’t going to make a trade to satisfy the media he is going to do everything he can to make the team better. It isn’t about the core players it’s about the Toronto Maple Leafs. Treliving also said that he has already had contact with Auston and his camp and plans to meet with Auston and his family in Arizona. We have heard countless times that Auston wants to stay in Toronto so for now let’s trust that that is in fact the case and that this situation will sort itself out.

When asked about Sheldon Keefe Treliving answered by saying he will meet with Sheldon and quickly assess the situation but believes that Sheldon Keefe is a very talented coach and has done very well with this team. I guess great minds think alike because I have been writing the same thing many times regarding Toronto’s head coach. However, one situation Brad will need to sort out is finding a replacement on this coaching staff for Spencer Carbery who today was announced as the new Head Coach for the Washington Capitals. One name that has already been speculated is Kirk Muller who is an assistant in Calgary but also has ties with Toronto playing for them in the mid-90s.

The Brad Treliving era officially begins today with the draft just weeks away, it is being reported that Brad will not be allowed to sit at the Leafs draft table at the end of the month so Brendan Pridham the teams Assistant General Manager and head scout Wes Clark will likely handle team decisions that weekend with Brad taking the helm on July 1.

With Treliving now in charge let’s gear up for what is likely to be a very interesting summer for the Leafs and while we’re at it why not order some Boston Pizza and support the family business?

 

That’s it for this one thanks as always for reading.