Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 UFA's Brad Treliving Will Try To Sign

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Now that Brad Treliving is officially the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, expect him to bring in some familiar faces.

Treliving has had a long career in professional hockey and is very respected around the NHL, which is why the Toronto Maple Leafs hired him so quickly.

The team waited less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas and found the man they hope will bring them success.

Whether Dubas or Treliving was the GM of the Leafs this year, it felt like the team was going to stay pretty much in-tact.

There may be one move up-front, but it would be shocking if one of either Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner was traded this offseason.

As much as they would fetch a ton on the open-market, you really shouldn’t trade those type of players. Marner and Matthews are arguably two of the top-five players in Leafs history so when you have them under contract, it’s best to keep them on your roster.

Although they haven’t won in the playoffs yet, they’re so talented that they should eventually break through. They finally won a playoff round this season, so that’s a step, but before we know it, if those two lead your team and perform at their best abilities, Toronto should be in a good place next spring.

Every GM has a player or two they seem to bring everywhere they go, so Treliving shouldn’t be any different. Here are three UFA’s you can expect him to try to sign this offseason.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 25: Sean Monahan #91 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Chicago Blackhawks on November 25, 2022 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

No. 1 Possible Toronto Maple Leafs Signing: Sean Monahan

Monahan is coming off a $6.375M cap-hit, but after two tough seasons, including an injury last year, he could become an affordable player this summer.

Although he never drafted him, Treliving believed in him and signed Monahan to a seven-year contract, which he lived up to, for the most part. Treliving ultimately traded Monahan to Montreal for a first-round pick, but throughout his tenure, he was a solid player.

He was a two-time 30-goal scorer, with his best year coming in 2018-19 when he had 34 goals and 82 points in 78 games.

The reason why he could be a good fit in Toronto is because of the success he had playing alongside Johnny Gaudreau, who plays a very similar game to a current Leafs winger.

Mitch Marner and Gaudreau have a very similar style, so Monahan and Marner could make a great fit together.

Depending on cap-space, that could mean that someone like William Nylander would have to be moved out, but a combination of Tavares/Matthews and Marner/Monahan could be just as productive as one without Nylander.

VANCOUVER, CANADA – APRIL 8: Milan Lucic #17 (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Milan Lucic

After tormenting the Toronto Maple Leafs for years, Lucic would be a fan-favorite immediately if he signed in Toronto.

Similar to Monahan, Treliving never signed Monahan but he did trade for him, in-exchange for James Neal.

With a $6M cap-hit last year, Lucic had one of the worst contracts in hockey, but at a league-minimum, he can still be an effective player, especially in the playoffs.

Toronto still isn’t a tough team to play against, but adding Lucic would help. It would be a somewhat similar move to when they acquired Wayne Simmonds, but this seems like a player that Treliving could be attracted to.

Bringing in someone like Lucic would add a strong element to the room and they’d once again have someone who isn’t afraid to fight and stick up for his teammates, which is never a bad thing.

Obviously his skill isn’t what it once was, but who knows, maybe you could find lightning in the bottle for one season and Treliving’s former connection to him could help him bring him in.

EDMONTON, CANADA – MARCH 14: Evander Kane #91 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for the puck with Travis Hamonic (Photo by Lawrence Scott/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Travis Hamonic

Once upon a time, Treliving made a big-splash to acquire Hamonic, which backfired tremendously for him, as Noah Dobson was the eventual first-round pick that he gave away to acquire Hamonic.

Dobson has turned into a top-two/four defenseman with the New York Islanders, while Hamonic has been more of a veteran bottom-tier player for the past couple years.

Although the 32-year-old isn’t a star defenseman right now, Treliving could be enticed to sign him, as Toronto’s defense is pretty weak.

Similar to what Kyle Dubas did with Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson, Hamonic could provide a a sixth/seventh defenseman role for Toronto at a cheap price.

Hamonic is never one to find the stat-sheet, but instead is a very good defender and is hard to play against. He’s someone who always plays physical and could bring a nice element to the Leafs blue-line which they’re missing.

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All signs would point towards Hamonic re-upping in Ottawa, but Treliving could be the one to bring him down the highway a few hours to Toronto, as they spent three years together with the Calgary Flames.

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