According to Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs have hired former Calgary Flames General Manager Brad Treliving to take on the same role with the Maple Leafs.
Treliving and the Flames agreed to part ways back in April after the Flames missed the playoffs this past season after taking the regular season Pacific Division title in 2021-22 with a 111 points. This made the 53-year old available to eventually sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Penticton native served nine years in the Calgary organization as their General Manager after previously working as the Assistant General Manager for almost seven years for the Arizona Coyotes.
Treliving will have the tough task of coming into a Toronto organization after a bit of shake up over the last few weeks that saw President Brendan Shanahan state that they would not be renewing fan favourite General Manager Kyle Dubas. The drama surrounded the two essentially working out a deal, Dubas not being sure he wanted the job which left Shanahan in doubt, to Dubas wanting the job which led to Shanahan moving on from Dubas.
Under Treliving the Flames made the playoffs in five of the nine seasons and made it out of the first round just twice, failing to move past the second round in both of those seasons.
Treliving will come under scrutiny after chaotic 2022 offseason with the Flames organization that saw Johnny Gaudreau walk in free agency and then trading their top young player Matthew Tkachuk.
New Toronto Maple Leafs GM Will Have Work to do
It won’t get easier for Treliving in Toronto as both William Nylander and Auston Matthews are both entering their final year of their contracts before becoming unrestricted free agency. He will also need to deal with trying to move Matt Murray and his nearly $4.7 Million cap hit, as well as whether or not to bring back Sheldon Keefe as head coach. All these decisions are before even thinking about what to add to the clubs roster.
This is getting wrapped up, as expected. Announcement today, media conference tomorrow for Brad Treliving as TOR GM
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 31, 2023
As Nylander and Matthews can sign extensions July 1, these need to be the first things figured out before he dives into too much more.
The Leafs have just six full-time NHL forwards signed for the 2023-24 season if you do not include Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg who all expect to keep for opening night roster spots.
There is lots to do, but the search, such that it was, is over.