Sometimes you really have to scratch your head to figure out how in the heck the Toronto Maple Leafs got to the position they are in right now. He won’t like it, but that’s exactly what David Alter will try and do.
Just over an hour after the team was set to take on the Anaheim Ducks in a highly emotional rematch, they announced the dismissal of Brad Treliving as general manager. Outside of the timing of the announcement, the news didn’t come as a shock to anyone following the team.
The expectations going into this season were for the Leafs to contend for a Stanley Cup. But what followed was a team that struggled in every aspect of the game. Heading into the Olympic break, management was actually feeling pretty optimistic. Sitting just six points out and having won three consecutive games, a well-rested team should have been able to hit the ground running. It wasn’t just that they lost games coming out of the break ; they played terribly, with the harsh reality setting in during a home game against the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 28, when Ottawa outshot Toronto 16-2 in the opening period. That was the first indication I personally felt that I could start making my own off-season plans.
But now we have to ask: what are the Leafs supposed to look like under a new GM? MLSE CEO Keith Pelley held a news conference and scrum in Toronto and stated that they want to be data-driven. The Leafs used to have a GM like that in Kyle Dubas, before former Leafs President Brendan Shanahan parted ways with the man who is now President and GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pelley also said they are going to look for a search firm that will present candidates for them to talk to. The other variable is that the Leafs want to have their new GM in place by the end of May to handle the NHL Draft and free agency.
Ambition Needed
It’s an ambitious goal, but what if a prime candidate becomes available in early June because of a dismissal from another club? There seem to be too many platitudes being thrown out. The truth is none of this is going to matter unless the head of hockey operations (whether it’s a president, GM, or whoever) has a direct line to the MLSE board where they can make decisions quickly. One of the biggest problems for big “megacorp” operations running teams is the inability to make decisions fast and with full autonomy. Minor moves don’t necessarily need board approval, but big choices do, and the slowness of these types of decisions can weigh a team down.
For the last four years, the Leafs have gone through constant structural changes:
- In 2023, the Leafs parted ways with Dubas and brought in Treliving.
- In 2024, the Leafs parted ways with Sheldon Keefe as head coach and brought in Craig Berube.
- In 2025, the Leafs parted ways with Brendan Shanahan and didn’t replace the position, leaving Treliving in charge while Pelley observed.
There needs to be uniformity at the top, and there really hasn’t been any since the 2022-23 season. Back then, the complaint seemed to be the Leafs’ inability to change the “core” enough for real progress. Perhaps Dubas was going to make that change before his contract was not renewed, but we’ll never know.
Toronto could hire the best candidate possible, but it still won’t change anything unless that person is permitted to do the job with full freedom to implement their vision. Until then, it may continue to be a mess. Pelley said they preferred a retool, although he was open to all possibilities. The fact that he had a preference and made that public tells you the search is already off to a bad start.