Brad Treliving’s tenure as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been wrought with misfires throughout. Last year’s trade deadline, in particular, was bad enough in and of itself. But it’s the consequences of that trade deadline that have come back to haunt the organization.
Over the last month or so, The Athletic has published its prospect pool rankings, with the Maple Leafs coming in at a surprising 29th spot.
I’ll say it’s surprising because you would think that the Leafs would be lower on the list. At least they’re not last.
That said, it makes sense to see Toronto that low in the prospect pool rankings. The organization systematically gutted its farm system over the years, plus jettisoned draft picks in various failed trade deadline deals.
Maple Leafs traded too many prospects away to have any future success
The Leafs' willingness to part with prospects has only compounded the matter. Just last season, the Leafs sent Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten away in separate deals. It’s Minten that is a real black eye for Treliving.
Beyond the missed opportunities, the remaining pieces in place don’t offer a great deal of hope for the Maple Leafs. Easton Cowan sits as the organization’s top prospect with defenseman Ben Danford, who, according to The Athletic, projects as a solid third-pairing blueliner.
That’s no bueno if the organization is looking to build a new core with the pieces in place. Cowan, Danford, and Dennis Hildeby could grow into a serviceable core group that becomes a solid, if unspectacular, foundation for the time to come.
But you really have to wonder just how much this extremely shallow prospect tool has set the organization back. If the Maple Leafs really wanted to rebuild from the ground up, the complete absence of high-end prospects would make it challenging for the team to have a quick turnaround.
That’s the sad reality of Brad Treliving’s tenure. While the Dubas era also saw its fair share of questionable moves, Treliving’s time in Toronto only exacerbated an ongoing problem.
Maple Leafs draft history not on their side
Some contending teams, despite having few picks and most of them in the later rounds, have managed to find an occasional gem. The Colorado Avalanche come to mind.
But when you look at the Maple Leafs draft history during the Auston Matthews era, there have only been a handful of clear wins.
The biggest one has been Matthew Knies. The Leafs took Knies with the 57th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was one of three picks and the only one who’s really done anything significant for the organization.
The following year, the Leafs took Minten 38th overall, but he’s in Boston now. Easton Cowan was a solid find at 28th overall in 2023, and, well, that’s been pretty much it.
The Leafs took the much-maligned Timothy Liljegren in the first round in 2017 and Rasmus Sandin in the first round of 2018. They’re both gone.
Meanwhile, Nick Robertson, as divided as fans are about his performance, was a solid find at #53 in 2019.
Aside from those names, only Dennis Hildeby has given the Maple Leafs any sort of value for the Maple Leafs. But if we look at the three drafts in which Treliving was at the helm, only one pick (Cowan) of 17 total selections has made it to the NHL.
You could argue that it’s way too soon for the picks from 2024 and 2025 to have any impact on the team. So, Treliving might get a pass in the end if any of these picks turn out to be solid NHLers.
In the meantime, the outlook is not good. The Leafs are not in a good spot prospect-wise. The hope is that the organization’s player development can elevate these prospects’ ceiling to the point where they could become solid complementary pieces to potential high-end players joining the organization at one point or another.