For now it seems that not too much is different for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The core four remains intact, Brendan Shanahan remains the team president, and the Leafs lost a 1st round Game 7 in Boston. Moreover, the team struggled to score in the playoffs, the power play essentially vanishing once again. The blueline might have been improved or more balanced, but still lacks anything close to a top pairing option outside of Morgan Rielly.
Since the loss, former coach Sheldon Keefe was relieved of his duties, but there is one thing that is tangibly different. Leafs GM Brad Treliving completed his first season at the helm of the team. With that in mind we polled our readers about how they thought Treliving performed this past season.
I like him: 40%
There are clearly a good portion of fans who feel positively about Treliving and his work with the Leafs so far. There were several moments throughout the season that Treliving was cast in a favourable light, praised for his acquisitions or the developments that happened during his time. Granted, there were many across Leafs Nation that were ready to enjoy anything that was not attached to former GM Kyle Dubas.
With that being said, Treliving addressed some long standing issues with the roster in his first season. While Kyle Dubas did add some grit throughout his tenure, most of this work came in the form of rentals at the trade deadline, like Ryan O’Reilly and Nick Foligno. Not only did Treliving add more grit, or affectionately snot, than his predecessor, he did so earlier in the season as well. Before the season Treliving added players up and down the lineup that fit his ethos, on forward and defence, and continued to do so as the season progressed.
Naturally, each signing turned out differently in terms of success. Max Domi and Simon Benoit are a couple among those who might well have played beyond expectations. Benoit and Bobby McMann were inked to extensions that seem to be great value for the Leafs. Ultimately, the most important accomplishment was extending Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Although fans have grown weary of the core four, locking up two of the best players in franchise history was no guarantee. Given the storm of uncertainty that followed in the wake of Dubas’ departure there was some unease quelled by the extensions.
In NHL circles Treliving has the reputation of consistently window shopping, taking stock of what options might be available on the trade market. The hope is that some of this diligence will pay off as the Leafs seem ready to accept a greater level of change than usual. While poor results in past trades or signings are inevitable, the mark of trust in a GM is whether or not they can make the right moves in the future.
A 40% approval rating in our poll is less than half, but it is still sizeable support. Despite an all too familiar playoff fate Treliving is inspiring some support headed into his second season as Leafs GM.
I don’t like him: 60%
Winning our popular vote is a negative view of Treliving. Already the majority of voters have lost faith with Treliving, not even a calendar year into his tenure. The truth is, outside of a conference finals appearance, there is often little appreciation for GMs of aspiring contenders. New GMs are afforded grace until their mistakes become more pressing than their predecessor’s, but the Leafs postseason Groundhog Day bears with it a toll. Whether fair or not, Treliving has begun to fade into the frustrations that have permeated the Brendan Shanahan era.
Of course, there are some of Treliving’s moves that have not worked out well or already seem concerning. Opinions were always split on the Ryan Reaves signing, John Klingberg was not able to play much at all, and David Kampf was extended to a fairly inflexible contract. Some voters might see these contracts as signs of worse trouble ahead.
Some Leaf fans that are more invested in the general happenings of the league might be factoring Treliving’s work in Calgary with the Flames to their evaluations. This might be unfair, as all GMs eventually wear out their welcome. With the Flames stranded in no man’s land in Treliving’s wake, there is not much in Treliving’s past to inspire confidence. The past paved with many Flames fans happy to dance through every failure Treliving endures.
There is inherent criticism from being an NHL GM. Fans hear of potential moves or players that might be available, or have their own ideas of what should happen. Measuring up to the endless possibilities of hopes is an impossible task. Fans should certainly harbour their own beliefs and hopes, but these are only so constructive a tool in evaluating a GM’s work.
