Maple Leafs fire GM Brad Treliving as big changes begin in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made their first firing of what could be many this offseason, and it happened before the season is over.

Announced by the team on Monday night, and several other sources, the Maple Leafs have fired general manager Brad Treliving. Toronto has eight games remaining in what has been an absolutely dreadful season.

Maple Leafs fire Brad Treliving as first move of potentially many

Treliving had just one year left on his contract and there was reportedly going to be a decision made on him this summer, whether it was an extension or a firing. Now, we obviously know what route has been taken.

"Throughout the course of this season, there has been deep analyssi into both the current state of the Maple Leafs organization and the direction needed to achieve the ultimate goal of delivering a Stanley Cup championship to the city," said MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley, via the team's press release. "Brad Treliving is a man that we all have deep respect and appreciation for, both as a hockey executive and as a person, but it was determined that the club must chart a new course under different leadership. The organization is grateful for all that Brad has contributed in his nearly three years with the Maple Leafs and we wish him and his family the very best."

Treliving was hired by the Maple Leafs in May 2023 as the successor to Kyle Dubas, as the team tried to find a more conservative lane to go down -- and that became even more evident with the eventual hiring of head coach Craig Berube. Now, three years later and Treliving created a mess that will take years to clean up.

His relatively short tenure will be defined by a couple trades made just last year. Acquiring Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo for two first-round picks and two solid prospects in Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, and getting almost nothing of actual value out of those moves. Carlo is a fine-but-replaceable defenseman and could now infamously cost the Leafs a top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. And Laughton was a joy to watch this season but without any games that actually mean anything, his addition was not really needed.

Now, the Maple Leafs will sit spinning their wheels likely without their next two first-round draft picks and potentially get even worse as rumours of an Auston Matthews departure in the near future start to grow louder and louder.

Firing Treliving is no doubt just the first move of what should be many in the Leafs front office in the next few months.