Elliotte Friedman links Maple Leafs to unexpected Brad Treliving replacement

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on Monday night and are now on the search to find his replacement. But, there is a name that has been mentioned that is incredibly interesting, and he hasn't even been in the NHL in several years.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman appeared on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Tuesday afternoon to talk at length about what is next for the Maple Leafs as they start this search for a new general manager and potentially what is next for head coach Craig Berube.

Elliotte Friedman links surprise candidate to Maple Leafs GM job

In the very good talk about these next steps, Friedman revealed just one name that the Maple Leafs are interested in hiring. No lengthy list of possible candidates, but just one guy who has a whole lot of experience bringing a team to the top of the hockey world, and hasn't had a second chance since.

"One of the names that is kind of floating around because they're interested in what he did in past job, I think potentially is Mike Gillis," Friedman said. "That's a name that they have kind of look at, I can see why. He took a team that was really struggling and took them to the edge of the Stanley Cup Final. I don't know if it's going to be Mike Gillis but he's the kind of person they've been looking at, so far."

Mike Gillis served as the Vancouver Canucks general manager from 2008 all the way up until he was fired in 2014 after the team were knocked out of the playoffs and owner Francesco Aquilini decided to (once again) be more hands-on. Since his firing over a decade ago, Gillis taught for a stint at the University of Victoria and from July 2021 to December 2023, was a consultant for the NHLPA on business development.

But during his time as Canucks general manager, Gillis built one of the best teams in the NHL. Powered by Henrik and Daniel Sedin up top, he made moves to supplement their talent and add some incredible depth that only furthered their production and helped them win back-to-back President's Trophies in 2011 and 2012.

In the six seasons with Gillis in charge, the Canucks had only one season below a .600 points percentage, had five straight seasons where they finished first in their division, and had two seasons where they won more than 50 games. And of course, his Canucks went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 after going 54-19-9 in the regular season and eventually lost in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.

Essentially, Gillis knows how to turn a team with a couple of franchise forwards into a powerhouse that wins a whole lot. That seems like the guy who can transform this Maple Leafs team into something that actually matters.