Evaluating a given general manager’s performance can often be a difficult exercise. In some ways, GMs have a direct influence on their team on a game-to-game basis, while in others it can take years until the labours of their vision come to fruition.
A great deal of GM responsibilities are impossible for those on the outside to quantify. Although the GM does have power, there are a number of elements beyond their control, including the decisions of players or mandates from ownership or team presidents. Inevitably, a GM’s work echoes throughout the future of their organisation, years and years after they have left the team.
The tough task of evaluating general managers
To complicate matters further, the evaluation process can be split into two parts, the conceptual and the actual. Perhaps a good move in theory did not result in positive results on the ice, even due to bad luck such as injuries.
Evaluating GMs can quickly become a mess, defaulting to the whims of on-ice results. A clear example of this folly is illustrated each year by the voting for the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award, which seems to exclusively reward teams who have made it to the Conference Finals. Surely a GM could do a good job while rebuilding, yet this is nearly impossible to measure within the confines of one season.
Moreover, as fans, the temptation to evaluate GM performance against every hypothetical possibility is strong. Was there a player available that should have been acquired? A player drafted after a given selection that turned out to be a better NHLer? Or perhaps a notable player was drafted with a pick that was traded away.
The chance of a GM surpassing the impossibly high bar of retroactive analysis is essentially zero. Every GM will have moves that do not turn out well, preferences or principles that go stale, or even uncontrollable circumstances that tint their work.
Breaking down Brad Treliving’s body of work
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at GM Brad Treliving’s work as his first regular season comes to a close. Doing an evaluation at this point allows us to look at his manoeuvres divorced from the team’s playoff results, which may or may not allow for a more objective view. Naturally, the results ahead will change how Treliving’s work is seen.
Players Treliving let walk
- Kallgren
- Schenn, Holl, Gustavsson, Benn, Hollowell, Mete
- O’Reilly, Bunting, Kerfoot, Acciari, Aston-Reese, Der-Arguchintsev, Hunt
Ultimately there are limitations to what we can evaluate Treliving on in this section. Many of these players might not have wanted to re-sign with the Leafs, even for similar contracts to those that they did end up accepting. Some of these players would certainly have helped the Leafs, Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, and to an extent Noel Acciari and Erik Gustavsson come to mind.
In the end, what stands out for most might be the players that fans are happy to have moved on from, especially given the raises they earned on the open market. Justin Holl and Alexander Kerfoot certainly had their detractors, and along with Michael Bunting, were likely not easily afforded against the salary cap.
Signings
- A: Bertuzzi, Domi, Benoit
- B: Jones, Lagesson, Reaves, Gregor
- C: Klingberg
- N/A: Abruzzese, Gambrell
Bringing on big names
Sure to be one of the primary areas of analysis, Treliving has brought in a number of free agents. The headliners were one-year deals to Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and John Klingberg. Domi and Bertuzzi did not get off to great starts but have started to come alive as key members of the lineup.
With playoff success in limited sample sizes, both are expected to be more impactful in the postseason. There will be an appetite to re-sign both forwards, though their respective cap costs will be an important part of whether or not that happens. Thanks to their improving play and fiery dispositions, signing Bertuzzi and Domi should be thought of as wins for Treliving.
Extra support for the Leafs
There are other positive moves within this group, as Simon Benoit, Martin Jones, Noah Gregor, and William Lagesson, though since lost to a waiver claim, have contributed to the team’s success this season. Benoit has added a lot of the “snot” that Treliving famously yearned for, and as a restricted free agent might be a longer-term piece that the Leafs were able to add at little cost. Gregor is a pending RFA as well, though, like Benoit, he might be on the outside looking in on the full-strength playoff lineup.
Jones is clearly a strong option for the third-string goalie, and a clever use of bonus structure might have helped him clear waivers. Lagesson filled in quite nicely amidst injuries, and despite being limited to a depth role has been improving as a player over the past few seasons. Lagesson was ultimately claimed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks but held his own through 30 games with the Leafs this season.
Klingberg was an aggressive manoeuvre, as he has not been very impactful for a few seasons now. Perhaps this decline is fully due to the injury that ultimately sidelined him for the foreseeable future. Though Klingberg did not help the Leafs, his being effectively off the cap and one-year term meant that he did not hurt the team either.
A questionable add with eventual value
The most contentious free agent signing is Ryan Reaves, who signed for three years. The length of the deal is an issue for many, and the price tag might be a few hundred thousand dollars more than ideal, but with the rising cap, Reaves’ contract could be fully buriable in its final years. Though it has had some rocky moments, Reaves has settled into being a playable fourth line option. In all, some might not feel like it but the addition of Reaves is a mild win for Treliving.
Treliving’s extensions
- A: Matthews, Nylander, McMann, Benoit
- B: Holmberg
- C: Kampf
The All-Stars
Naturally, Auston Matthews and William Nylander re-signing are the most consequential moves by Treliving. Though much ado has and will be made about the value and terms of the deals, the bottom line is that Treliving was able to retain two elite players. Finding a way to lock up these stars is significant, especially in the spotlight of Toronto.
Found gold
Bobby McMann and Pontus Holmberg have been useful pieces for the Leafs this season, and signed relatively inexpensive two-year extensions. Holmberg is younger and lower on the depth chart, though his role might continue to grow throughout the deal. McMann, meanwhile, has quickly cemented himself as one of the Leafs’ top-nine forwards. With a blend of size, speed, and dogged determination, McMann brings a lot of qualities that fans have thought missing to the lineup. Both extensions are clear wins for Treliving.
Again, Benoit makes an appearance, signing a three-year deal. Much like the McMann signing, there is very little risk for the team with this extension. Both McMann and Benoit have been impactful players for the Leafs this season, and betting on them at least replicating these results in the next season or two is shrewd.
The more questionable moves
The most contentious issue is the term and cap hit given to David Kampf. As a player, Kampf has clear defensive strengths but is limited offensively. There is a chance that Kampf has topped out as a fourth line centre who can lead a penalty kill. While useful, his cap hit will likely leave fans wanting more, making Kampf a likely target for armchair GMs looking to shed salary.
There is a fixation with the number $1.35 million on many of these contracts cap hits, going as far back as last summer and the signing of Ryan Reaves. The Leafs are telling us that they believe this number will be fully buriable in the future. In other words, any player on the team making $1.35 million or less can be manoeuvred into full cap relief if sent to the AHL.
Most of these players were not going into this season being guaranteed an NHL roster spot, or might not be guaranteed a spot in the future. The players might feel like this is something of a max deal, ensuring that they can be situated in Toronto even if sent to the AHL while earning a true NHL salary regardless. Their buriable cap hits maintain roster flexibility for the Leafs, allowing them to fully embrace internal competition on an organisational level.
Treliving’s trades
- Dewar RFA for 2026 fourth-round pick, Dmitry Ovchinnikov
- Webber for 2026 sixth-round pick
- Edmundson for 2024 third-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
- Lyubushkin and Kirill Slepets for 2025 third-round pick
- 2024 fifth-round pick for Lafferty
Along with free agent signings and draft selections, and perhaps even more so, trades are often a primary measurement by those evaluating GM performance. At its core, it is the most turbulent transaction, adding a piece from outside the team at the cost of those already part of it. Rosters are quickly reimagined, twice as quickly, once in addition and once by subtraction.
The cost of business
The Lafferty trade is the main outlier, the Leafs sending away a capable player for cap purposes. In retrospect, this might have afforded the team with extra ammunition at the trade deadline, where most of the action occurred.
In terms of assets traded away, it was hardly the most luxurious deadline package. Most consequentially, Treliving gave up two third-round picks, though additional picks in the fourth and sixth rounds of 2026 were hardly as impactful.
Ovchinnikov is a prospect, but hardly one on the verge of immediate NHL impact. As an undersized but dynamic scoring forward, Ovchinnikov will be appreciated elsewhere, a harsh contrast to Treliving’s mission statement.
The defensive additions
What the Leafs added is far more interesting, an assertion of Treliving’s vision that can be quantified. Though lacking an all-star calibre name, the Leafs’ additions have undoubtedly transformed the team’s identity. Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin might be best described as third pair options by their quality, but both bring an element that the Leafs have been sorely lacking.
An NHL team’s defence is far more reactionary than an offence, it must be flexible, able to adjust to take away the various aspects of attack that different opponents present. If an NHL team has a specific weakness, say for example clearing the net front, opponents will find ways to exploit this weakness.
In short, while Edmundson and Lyubushkin may not be upgraded over Mark Giordano, Connor Timmins, or even William Lagesson at this point—they are the superior fit within this Leafs team. Skilled defencemen like Morgan Reilly or Timothy Liljegren will be better supported if the physical burden upon them is lessened.
Jake McCabe, who is physical, seems more ruthless and rugged when he is not asked to be the leading physical force of a blueline. T.J. Brodie’s quieter defensive play, wrought with positioning and stick checking, becomes more effective with physical deterrents elsewhere in the lineup.
An outlook on the trades
Though the present is top of mind for the Leafs, in the years ahead the focus will shift. While the Leafs’ priority is to win this season, their best players are still in the prime of their careers. Though the news cycle on a Mitch Marner extension lie ahead, the Leafs’ theoretical championship window could be open for another decade.
Neither of Cade Webber nor Connor Dewar are currently on long-term deals, but both are expected to remain under team control beyond this season. Dewar has already made his presence felt on the fourth line and the penalty kill, while Webber is captain of a stacked Boston University team, and might sign a professional contract at the end of this season. As a tall left-shot defensive defenceman, Webber evokes the mould of Benoit or Edmundson. These trades might offer the Leafs more long-term solutions, adding dimension to the roster in years to come.
While finding solutions that will help the Leafs this season, it is smart to try to build in-house solutions rather than trading for such players at the deadline each season. A criticism of the Kyle Dubas era was the lack of long-term players, often the team feeling like the core group and a rotating gang of mercenaries. While digging UFAs to deal with term is one avenue (as the Leafs did with Reaves), a more prudent course of action is to find younger players who might grow with the team, as Treliving seems to have done with Benoit, Dewar, and Webber.
Prospect performances
- Akhtyamov, Cowan, Kressler
Easton Cowan is the main highlight here, a somewhat surprising first round selection that already seems to have paid off. Treliving retained the Leafs Amateur Scouting staff, led by Wes Clarke, who selected Cowan with the highest pick the Leafs have had during his three-draft tenure. Clearly, the Leafs trust their own evaluations and projections, and having selected Matthew Knies and Fraser Minten, Clarke has overseen drafts that have already produced NHL games for the team. Cowan, like Minten, will be pushing for a roster spot out of training camp next season.
Front Office moves
- Promoted Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser to Assistant GM
- Hired Assistant GM Shane Doan
- Extended Sheldon Keefe
- Hired Assistant coach Guy Boucher
With the drama filled Kyle Dubas fallout that would eventually lead to Treliving’s being hired, there was great concern that the Leafs front office was fractured. To whatever extent this was true, the Leafs seem to have retained an exceptional off-ice staff that is pulling together.
Wickenheiser has taken an even more active role, being promoted to AGM and leading the development team. Wickenheiser leads the Leafs’ offseason programs, is clearly a resource for the amateur scouting staff, and brings the resume of a champion and a Hall of Famer.
Doan has started his transition into management, already having GMed for Team Canada to gold at the World Championships last year. It is a distinct possibility that Doan becomes a GM somewhere in the league in the future, in all likelihood the Arizona Coyotes.
There were some eyebrows raised when Boucher, with head coaching experience, was brought aboard while Keefe was on the last year of his deal, but it seems to have worked. While Boucher has seen his power play struggle of late, the Leafs did well to replace yet another assistant coach hired to another team’s head coaching job, as Spencer Carbury, now of the Washington Capitals, joined the likes of Dave Hakstol and DJ Smith.
Equally important is that Sheldon Keefe still has the room. The top players are bought in, and there are signs of progress throughout the year as several Leafs players have found their way after poor stretches in the early weeks of the season. Surely factions of Leafs Nation will have already made up their minds about Keefe, but in some ways, he appears to be at his most poised this season. Coaching jobs are not forever, and time will almost certainly run out on Keefe at some point, but Treliving did well to stick with Keefe.
The big picture look at Treliving’s first year
Perhaps Treliving’s navigation of the coaching situation is symbolic of his work with the Leafs as a whole. Through the Brendan Shanahan era, the Leafs have built up a strong infrastructure. Though flawed and lacking playoff success the Leafs have become a consistent contender, employing many of the best players in franchise history. The Leafs’ on-ice success might have even been overshadowed by their off-ice work, exploring the cutting edge of capology, sports science, on- and off-ice development, analytics, and beyond.
Treliving has been able to maintain many of these positive aspects of the Leafs’ organisational structure, from capologist extraordinaire Brandon Pridham, to Keefe, to Clarke, to Wickenheiser, while adding some of his own spin, Boucher, Doan, and of course the snot-filled brigade of on-ice reinforcements.
There were a number of signs pointing towards Treliving’s vision for the Leafs, from his history as GM of the Calgary Flames to his famous quote promise to add “snot” to the lineup. Unquestionably Treliving has accomplished this goal, adding players befitting the description throughout the lineup. This might have hurt the Leafs in certain areas, evidenced by their deflated control of play and expected goals, but might make up for that fact by fostering a disposition more suited to playoff success.
While the Vegas Golden Knights found themselves in the spotlight for their aggressive interpretations of the league’s salary cap, the Leafs are doing so in their own ways as well. The Knights are expected to see several high-end players activated off of injured reserves in the days after the regular season ends and made bold splashes at the trade deadline. The Leafs, on the other hand, were able to add a wealth of depth to their roster through their cap and injury circumstances.
Some might feel that Treliving’s strategy was not aggressive enough, while others might lament his deadline buying at all. Some will go as far as to say Treliving was not aggressive enough in dismantling the very core of the team.
The truth is that Treliving found ways to add to the Leafs’ present, and even to its near future while retaining a reasonable number of draft picks this year and retaining all of their best prospects. The roster itself does not seem to feel cheated out of deadline additions, which is important.
The Leafs’ results in the playoffs will inform our evaluation in the future, as will the myriad of decisions that lie ahead in the offseason. Which players should be re-signed? Which players can be? Which might be available to add?
Win or lose, there will be tough calls for Treliving to make. There will be opportunities alongside. For the time being a fair assessment is that Treliving has made his mark, adding new dimensions to the lineup. There is legitimate reason for faith that Treliving can oversee more positive changes in the future.
