The Toronto Maple Leafs are a bewildering group. For the past 19 years, the organization has strived to win the playoff.
Finally, under General Manager Kyle Dupas, the franchise scraped its tickets to the second round. Instead of rewarding his engineer’s vision, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him and replaced him with Brad Treliving.
If Leafs fans scratched their heads when Dubas was sent packing, they may not have a hair to scratch after day one of NHL free agency on July 1.
Could Treliving be a double agent still secretly working for the Calgary Flames? While this sounds absurd, it appears to be one of the only explanations for the start of his tenure as the new general manager of the Maple Leafs.
The new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs should be a double agent
Let’s start with the draft and Toronto’s selection of Easton Kwan. NHL Scout Central is ranked the 51st best skater in North America. Our dummy project Kwan was selected in the third round. Treliving outclassed players like Ethan Gauthier who scored 30 goals and 39 assists for the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL. Treleving also had the opportunity to take on a defender like Mikhail Gulyayev but instead managed Cowan in a big way.
At worst, if the Leafs know they want the London Knights right winger, they should trade for him. Toronto could have easily picked up a pair of second-round draft picks in exchange for their first. This would have allowed Treliving to catch Kwan close to where he was expected and also to recruit another young talent.
The NHL’s July 1 mine was even worse for the Leafs. While other teams were quick to select talented players to help their team score or defend, Treliving did neither. Instead, added Ryan Reavis, a 36-year-old tough guy who gives the team the sandpaper.
Although Reaves is on defense, the Toronto Maple Leafs would find him a spot on their roster. The problem is that this was their first order of business rather than trying to keep a player like Michael Bunting. Reaves is the kind of athlete a team should sign last to complete a roster, not build one around it.
If Treliving is still secretly working with the Flames, he will certainly try to make it easier for the teams to sign the Leafs. The best way to do this is to hire a defender who will struggle to defend. Like John Kellenberg. Treliving signed him to a one-year, $41.15 million deal.
Despite all the mistakes that have been made, the Toronto Maple Leafs have taken a step in the right direction. Treliving signed left winger Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Maybe it’s Treliving trying to hide his true loyalty, or alternatively, he’s really trying his best to help the Leafs win and he’s just got off to a bad start.
Time will tell what Treliving’s legacy will accomplish. Let’s hope he doesn’t trade Auston Matthews or get caught hiding Flames-branded microphones in Leafs offices.
- Posted on 07/05/2023 at 10:00 am
- Last updated on 05/07/2023 at 10:00 am
