Brad Treliving's Best and Worst Moves As the Toronto Maple Leafs GM

Brad Treliving's Best Decisions With The Maple Leafs

Let's get the good stuff out of the way first, mainly because there is little Treliving has done well since joining the Leafs organization, and this part will be quick.

Most fans would point to the Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi signings last year. Some may point to the Chris Tanev signing this year, but that contract is wonky, and we have not seen Tanev on the ice in the blue and white just yet.

Personally, I think Treliving's best moves are some of the ones he has not made.

Following the Leafs' game-seven loss to the Boston Bruins, Leafs fans and media started putting a lot of pressure on the front office to make massive changes, mainly by suggesting that Mitch Marner should be traded.

While these suggestions came from a small portion of the fanbase that happens to be the loudest on social media, Treliving and the front office have yet to feel the pressure. Marner is an elite player in this game, and seeing these trade rumours enraged me because of how stupid that idea was.

However, when these rumours started popping up, I can't lie; I was terrified because we had seen Treliving make a similar decision when he traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, ultimately leading to Treliving's firing. The Flames organization has been a dumpster fire ever since.

In addition to not making one of the stupidest decisions in hockey history, Treliving did a great job not overpaying for free agents on July 1st. Leading up to NHL Free Agency, there were many rumours that the Maple Leafs were interested in Brandon Montour, Nikita Zadorov, Brady Skeji and Tyler Bertuzzi, all guys I would have loved to have in on the team next year. However, these guys ended up with wealthy deals, which they likely won't live up to.

With Mitch Marner's future uncertain and John Tavares's contract expiring after this season, this was a crucial offseason for the Maple Leafs to maintain flexibility going into next season and build in any direction they want if Marner leaves.  

The signings of Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, and Anthony Stolarz are not enough to make me think this team is any better than last year's version of the Maple Leafs, but having Tanev on a cheaper, more extended contract was the best option rather than tying themselves to a seven—or eight-million dollar defenceman who won't live up to the money and will tie up more money when the team is looking for flexibility with Marner and Tavare's futures uncertain with the team.

To wrap up this conversation on Brad Treliving's best moves, I think he has done an excellent job negotiating and knowing when to walk away; it is a nice change of pace from Kyle Dubas, who threw a duffle bag of money at whoever asked for it. But there has not been a move that Treliving has made that has blown me away or made me think this team is any closer to being a Cup contender, and that's an issue, especially for a team in a limited Stanley Cup window.

With the positives out of the way, let's examine the laundry list of Treliving's worst moves in his first two years as the Maple Leafs' General Manager.