The Toronto Maple Leafs issues stem from a lot of different areas in the organization, but they all go back to one person in particular, Brad Treliving. Brad Treliving was hired to replace Kyle Dubas as the general manager back on May 31st, 2023. This will go down as one of the worst decisions made by the Maple Leafs, as his flaws are being shown, leading the Leafs to their worst season in a decade.
Brad Treliving's career with the Flames and Maple Leafs
Brad Treliving was the general manager of the Calgary Flames before the Maple Leafs dating back from 2014 to 2023. Treliving made a number of massive trades as the Flames' GM, most notably sending Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar. At the end of the 2023 season, Treliving and the Flames agreed it was time to move on as both were looking for a change. The hiring of Treliving came at a weird time for Leafs Nation, as they had just lost in the second round, which at the time was the longest playoff run in the Matthews era. Brendan Shanahan, who was the Leafs President, sat down with Kyle Dubas as his contract expired and discussed their futures. Dubas and the Leafs eventually decided to split. Treliving has done both good and bad for the Maple Leafs. But over the course of this season, the bad has certainly outweighed the good.
Heading into Brad Treliving's first offseason with the Maple Leafs, he made several signings to bolster the roster, as well as keep some of their existing talent. He re-signed Pontus Holmberg and David Kampf, which ended up being a terrible deal that the Leafs were able to terminate just in the past few months. Treliving was able to sign Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves, the last two being terrible deals and players who didn't work in Toronto. Treliving's first major decision was the signing of the faces of the franchise, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Being able to keep both players long-term was a big win for the organization. At the trade deadline, Treliving was able to acquire Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals, as well as Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild. Both of these deals were low risk high reward that didn't work out terribly in Toronto. The Maple Leafs ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Bruins in 7 games.
First major decision: Firing Sheldon Keefe
Following the Maple Leafs elimination came the decision to fire Sheldon Keefe and hire Craig Berube. Sheldon Keefe was one of the best Maple Leafs coaches in the regular season, which never translated to the playoffs. Keefe coached for offence, which flabbergasted the defence and did not provide a stable game for the Maple Leafs to win when it mattered most. The hiring of Berube signalled a change and a different brand of hockey, the kind that will win you playoff rounds and a Stanley Cup, or so they thought.
With Treliving's first season completed, he understood there was a lot of work to do. His first season with the Leafs wasn't bad, but there were some questions regarding the players he brought in during the 2023 offseason. David Kampf was a good, reliable center for the Leafs, but not a $2.4M player. Ryan Reaves was not the player many expect and he still had two years remaining on his contract. Treliving during the 2024 offseason saw a lot of bad contracts heading towards the Maple Leafs books. He signed Timothy Liljegren to a two-year $6M deal, which made no sense at the time. Re-signed Domi to a four-year $15M deal. We are now seeing the regression of Domi and the player he was during the beginning of his career. Treliving brought in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev, both of whom were great deals, especially Ekman-Larsson. This summer also saw the acquisition of Anthony Stolarz, who had a great first season for the Maple Leafs, but has seemed to fall off a cliff. The re-signing of Joseph Woll was another great signing for Treliving, securing the Maple Leafs tandem. Lastly, before the season began, Treliving re-signed Jake McCabe to a five-year deal, which secured the Leafs defence core for the future.
Best season in the Auston Matthews era
This season, the Maple Leafs saw the biggest improvement in the Matthews era. The Leafs defence group was one of the best in the NHL, while their goalies were a top-three tandem in the NHL. Berube coached the team to their first divisional title since the 1999-2000 season. At the deadline, Treliving attempted to acquire talent and bolster their roster. The first deal saw the Maple Leafs acquire Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins for a 2026 first-round pick (top-5 protected), Fraser Minten, and a fourth-round pick. This may have single-handedly been one of the worst trades the Maple Leafs have made in the decade. Carlo has been an absolute bust for the Maple Leafs and is nowhere near the value the Leafs traded him for. Later in the morning, the Maple Leafs acquired Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick. The Maple Leafs now do not have a first-round pick until 2028. Laughton has been a solid player for the Maple Leafs, but he plays on the fourth line, not the value of a first-round pick. The Maple Leafs ended up losing in the second round in seven games to the Florida Panthers, who eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The 2025-26 season failures
Heading into the 2024-25 offseason, there was a lot of work to be done. It was clear Mitch Marner wasn't going to return, so the Maple Leafs needed to figure out a plan. Treliving acquired Nic Roy for Marner's right from the Vegas Golden Knights, which had worked out well, but shouldn't have happened in the first place. He then acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth and Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks in trades. The trio of Roy, Maccelli, and Joshua have not necessarily been bad for the Maple Leafs, but has not acted as a replacement for Mitch Marner. The offseason also saw the re-signing of Anthony Stolarz, who has been terrible, Matthew Knies and John Tavares on team-friendly deals. Other than these moves, Treliving did not make any other decisions on how he was going to improve the roster.
The Maple Leafs currently sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Treliving has simply not done enough with the Maple Leafs to make fans and management believe he is the right man for the job. The Leafs are now one of the worst teams in the NHL, with little to no assets or draft capital. Treliving has not waved the white towel as of yet, but he will need to ahead of the trade deadline on March 6th.