Just a few days ago, fans were asking for Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to be kicked out of office.
In his first month or so of duty with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he missed on nearly every move he made.
He made a questionable selection in the first round of a loaded 2023 NHL draft, opting to go off the board instead of taking a safer pick.
He overpaid for both Ryan Reeves and David Kampf, making the Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap situation even more difficult.
And after the first day of NHL free agency, many quality players had left the organization, including Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting. (Though arguably, this was a good thing as each player who left got massively overpaid).
Also, Treliving had only made one big-name deal. That being signing John Klingberg to a 1 year, $4.15 million contract. This deal was met with mixed reviews from the media and fans.
However, by the end of July 2nd, many people’s opinion of him changed.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Brad Treliving Just Proved Everyone Wrong
Brad Treliving has shocked the entire hockey world and completely turned the Leafs off-season around.
Earlier this past Sunday, Treliving signed Boston Bruins forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a 1-year, $5.5 million contract. If you ask me, Bertuzzi is the perfect player for this Leafs team. A guy who can play in the top-6? Check. A guy who can fight and stand up for his teammates? Check. A reasonably priced contract with a low term? Huge check.
The contract is near perfect here, and Bertuzzi is someone many Leafs fans have wanted for a long time. On top of this, I believe he will be an instant fan-favorite.
But believe it or not, Bradley T was not done there.
Treliving signed former Hab and Dallas Star Max Domi to a 1-year, $3 million contract. This signing gives the Leafs another option up front, as well as another guy with some speed and some much-needed tenacity among the forward group.
Earlier this week, the Leafs forward group was arguably the most top-heavy in the league, with little-to-no reinforcements after the “core 4”.
Now it looks like one of the top forward groups in the entire NHL. While the bottom six could use another addition or two, this Leafs team might be the best in a long time.
In conclusion, Brad Treliving just signed two very good players on two very good contracts, and now the Leafs entire off-season looks like a major win.
We’ll see how the rest of the summer goes, but I for one can’t wait for the hockey season to start.
This may be the year.