While the NHL Trade Deadline is nearly two months away, the online world is buzzing with potential trades for all teams, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are no exception. Between the wild trades of one of the core four, which seem to be never-ending, and the inevitable trade nobody crowd that believes as we all do that this is our year, there sits GM Brad Treliving, the man who makes the call.
It is on Treliving and his team to decide what to do with this roster to give it the greatest chance of winning the Stanley Cup and finally getting out of the first round of the playoffs. With the salary cap and player salaries as high as they are, each team will have its warts, but Treliving’s goal is to try to minimize those for the Leafs.
However, looking at Treliving’s history, there is one commonality in how he does his business- when he wants to make a swing at a real roster improvement, he consistently does so well in advance of the trade deadline.
Looking at Brad Treliving’s trade deadline history
Treliving was in charge of the Calgary Flames for nearly a decade, and in that time, he made his most significant in-season moves before the trade deadline. His most impactful in-season move was the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens on Valentines Day 2022. That trade sent depth forward Tyler Pitlick, a 2022 conditional first round pick and a 2023 fifth round pick along with prospect Emil Heineman back to Montreal.
In making that move, Treliving noted that he took direction from the way the team was playing saying, “The players have done their job, it was time for me to do mine. Part of that is giving them some help. I think if you ask any player they like their team and when you can give them some help it’s well received. The way we’ve been playing, I felt it was time to give them some help.”
With the Leafs sitting atop the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference, the team has clearly done their part on the ice.
The other big move he made that year was to acquire Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken for three draft picks. That deal united him with his cousin Elias Lindholm in Calgary, and happened almost a week before the deadline. And while it did not lead to much in the way of success that season for the Flames, the deals he made seemed to move the needle the right way.
Even when making moves to sell players, he has done so prior to deadline day. In 2015, he sent Curtis Glencross to the Washington Capitals in exchange for second and third round picks. He also sent Markus Granlund and Jiri Hudler packing in 2016 in advance of deadline day. Michael Frolik was also traded to the Buffalo Sabres in January of 2020—well in advance of the deadline.
For Treliving, deadline day has largely been about acquiring depth pieces, particularly depth defenders. Treliving added Troy Stetcher, Ryan Carpenter, Derek Forbort, and Erik Gustafsson at the deadline. None of these moves really made a huge impact for the Flames, but just served to add more insurance and depth to the lineup.
What to expect from Treliving at the 2025 trade deadline
This is a year where the Leafs will almost certainly be adding to their roster, and the biggest area of need is a third-line centre. The team has solid forwards at the top of their roster and an excellent fourth line for the first time in a long time, but that third line is where the team is weakest. While they could use more strength at the bottom of their blueline as well, the priority area is definitely in the middle-six.
The team does have Fraser Minten in the AHL, and he looked very good in his stint with the big club, but does Treliving trust the 20-year-old Vancouver-born prospect to carry the third line? And even if he does, in the case of an injury, is there enough depth in the Marlies for this team to support this team in a long playoff run?
The big risk with Treliving is that he has prioritized older depth players over prospects in his teams, forcing his younger players to really earn a call-up before giving them a look and when the opportunity presents itself, to trade for a player with more experience in anticipation of the playoffs. For the Flames back in the early part of the decade, it was Oliver Kylington who was really not trusted enough to be a part of the roster in the latter part of the season. He was pushed out of the roster in 2020 in exchange for players who were replacement-level NHLers.
Hopefully, this isn’t what Treliving has in mind for this spot, but do expect him to explore the trade market for depth up front to support the top of the roster and that this may put an additional barrier in front of Minten.
The biggest thing here is that Treliving is almost certainly looking right now, and if a deal materializes, do not expect him to wait until the deadline to pull the trigger. He has said that making the move earlier allows the team to gel longer and gets them in a better position for the playoffs. Hopefully, this proves to be true and this is the year.
