Brad Treliving: The Leafs considered extending his contract last month

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Brad Treliving: The Leafs considered extending his contract last month
Credit: TORONTO.Brendan Shanahan, President,(L) Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving (c) and Craig Berube, head coach, New Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube being introduced. (R.J.Johnston/Toronto Star) R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star

Last night, we heard some big news out of Toronto: Brad Treliving has been fired as general manager of the Maple Leafs. His tenure lasted just under three years… and was notably marked by the departure of Mitch Marner.

He also traded away the team's first-round pick this season… which, unless it lands in the top five, will go to Boston.

This isn't exactly a huge surprise given that the team is having a miserable season. It's clear they wanted to make major changes in Toronto… but it could very well have never happened despite this painful campaign.

According to Elliotte Friedman, who discussed all of this in an article for Sportsnet tonight, there were conversations about Treliving's future during the Olympic break. And the insider reports that there was “at least one” discussion centered on the idea of extending Treliving's contract.

On February 23, just over a month ago, there was still a real chance of seeing Treliving at the helm of the club next year, possibly with a new contract in hand.

Friedman explains that the team's repeated losses following the Olympic break didn't help, but seeing the Leafs take no action after Radko Gudas injured Auston Matthews may have been a deciding factor in the decision to let him go.

Keith Pelley, the team's president, stated that the team's culture wasn't where he wanted it to be… and there are people (including Friedman) who see a direct link to that incident.

So one might wonder if, much like Jeff Gorton with the Rangers a few years ago, Treliving lost his job following a situation in which his team failed to respond after getting roughed up on the ice.

But above all, he's losing his job even though his bosses were considering offering him a contract extension as recently as last month. It's… peculiar, to say the least.


In a nutshell

– A great story.

– Note.

– What do you think?

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