After Kyle Dubas was fired, the Toronto Maple Leafs wasted no time hiring Brad Treliving to be their next GM. Coming from Calgary, Treliving had a very mediocre past, but that didn’t stop MLSE from bringing him on board.
His seat is now getting warmer with every loss, as his Leafs sit second last in the division with a record of 10–11–3. Things are not going well in hockey’s top market, and while the coach might be the first one fired, it feels like Treliving’s days are also numbered.
But is this his fault? To find out, let’s grade every major move of Treliving’s tenure in Toronto so far.
Leafs receive Joel Edmundson for a 3rd and 5th round pick – Grade: C
Treliving’s first trade deadline was pretty boring. It felt like he didn’t have the full reins yet, and his moves around the edges, especially on defence, didn’t do much to help Toronto whatsoever.
Edmundson had a decent playoff, but the Leafs were once again finished in Game 7 of the first round. A 3rd and a 5th don’t seem like much, but for a depth defenceman, it’s a bit of a steep price and the type of trade teams really try to avoid.
Signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year deals – Grade: A
Treliving made it very clear in his first offseason that his direction would be different from Kyle Dubas’. By signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year deals, he shifted the team structure from speed and finesse to more rough-and-tumble.
It took a while for both Domi and Bertuzzi to get it going, but by the playoffs, both were fantastic. They formed a great first line with Auston Matthews and were not to blame for the Leafs early exit. Now, re-signing Domi and letting Bertuzzi walk was a mistake, but the initial deals were both awesome.
Re-signing Max Domi to four years, $15M – Grade: D
Brad chose the wrong guy to bring back, and two years into Domi’s four-year deal, it’s looking rough.
Domi just isn’t very good, especially with a coach like Craig Berube. He doesn’t play defence, needs to play with Auston Matthews to look anywhere close to decent, and doesn’t generate offence as he should.
The only reason this isn’t an F is because Domi was really good against the Ottawa Senators last postseason. Other than that, this is a bit of a disaster. He has 11 goals in 97 games since his extension kicked in.
Signing Anthony Stolarz to a two-year, $5M deal – Grade: A
Bringing in Anthony Stolarz was a godsend last season, as Stolarz led the NHL with a .926 save percentage in 34 games. He was Toronto’s playoff starter until getting hurt, and is still genuinely one of the best goalies in the league.
The problem is injury, and it’s clear now why Stolarz has never become a full-time starter: he gets hurt a lot. His second season has been a disaster, playing in 13 games with an .884 before going down with an unknown injury.
Either way, for the first season alone, this signing gets an A. Treliving knew Joseph Woll needed a partner, and Stolarz was nothing short of a miracle last season.
Leafs receive Scott Laughton for a 2027 1st-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin – Grade: D
Last year’s deadline is turning out to be an abomination, and this trade is half of it.
Scott Laughton has four points in 26 games since coming to Toronto. Yes, you read that right, four points in 26 games. For a first-round pick. And a top-five prospect.
Now, to be fair to Laughton, he looks fine. He isn’t getting a chance in the top-six, which he should, and he’s one of Toronto’s better bottom-six guys. But that’s not saying much, and you just don’t trade a first-rounder and a top-five prospect in your system for a Scott Laughton type.
This was Brad’s first giant trade, and it’s just terrible. I’ll give Laughton a bit more time before giving this an F, but there’s an argument it already should be. Nikita Grebenkin is outscoring him this season!
Leafs receive Brandon Carlo for a 2026 1st-round pick and Fraser Minten – Grade: F-
This trade will be the one we look back on in 10 years. Thinking they needed another RD, the Leafs sent their second-best prospect, Fraser Minten, and this year’s first-round pick to Boston for Brandon Carlo. Where do we even begin?
Carlo has been downright horrible. He’s 6’5 but plays like he’s 5’6, doesn’t hit, doesn’t score, doesn’t move the puck, doesn’t do anything. He’s been awful, and now he’s hurt, which might actually help the Leafs defence corps.
The Leafs suck, which means we’re probably gifting Boston the seventh overall pick in a stacked draft class. I don’t understand ever sending first-rounders to Boston; it never ends well.
And to top it all off, Fraser Minten looks fantastic. He’s the Bruins’ every-night third line centre (something the Leafs desperately need, by the way) and has eight points with a +2 rating so far. He’s going to be a stud third-line centre at worst, and should have been too high a price to pay for Carlo alone. When Treliving gets fired, this is going to be the move people point to as to why. Just awful
Verdict: Fire this man
Brad Treliving is not a good GM. He never has been. His hiring was based on his relationships on the MLSE board and had nothing to do with his actual work.
If the Leafs want to hit a soft retool and try to keep their window open, he’s not the guy to do it. If they want to full on tank, he’s not the guy to do it. If they want to make some moves to improve, he’s not the guy to do it.
Hire someone who knows what it takes to win in the NHL, not someone like Brad.
