Marc Bergevin will “undoubtedly” be a candidate in Toronto

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Marc Bergevin will “undoubtedly” be a candidate in Toronto
Credit: YouTube

The Maple Leafs have decided to fire their general manager, Brad Treliving.

I don't think fans in Toronto are unhappy about this. After all, he wasn't exactly universally loved, and the Maple Leafs will be able to move in a different direction.

Keith Pelley will therefore have a big task ahead of him: choosing the team's next GM.

Right now, there's one name that just won't go away in town: Doug Armstrong. Both Renaud Lavoie (BPM Sports) and Darren Dreger (TSN) have mentioned him in this context.

Armstrong is the guy who's stepping down as GM of the Blues (he'll be Alex Steen's president starting this summer, to support him) and who recently left his role with Hockey Canada.

But the more time passes, the more people wonder if, given the right opportunity, he might not become a GM elsewhere in the NHL.

His name hasn't really been mentioned in Nashville, the other NHL team actively looking for a GM right now. But Toronto is a different story…

Otherwise, who could become GM in the Ontario city?

Also in his radio column, Renaud Lavoie said he expects the usual suspects, Marc Bergevin and Peter Chiarelli, to be “without a doubt” candidates in Toronto. These are also names being mentioned in Nashville.

It's worth remembering that in 2023, when Brendan Shanahan's Maple Leafs turned to Brad Treliving, Marc Bergevin was also in the running to replace Kyle Dubas.

Obviously, that didn't work out, as we know. Will this time be the right one?

If Bergevin were to get the job, it's likely it would be even harder for Kent Hughes to work a deal with the Maple Leafs.

What does that mean for Matthew Knies? After all, it would be easier to make a move if Doug Armstrong were the GM, given his history with Kent Hughes…

Obviously, it's still too early to tell where this is headed. The Maple Leafs got a head start by firing their GM back in March, but the process of hiring a new GM isn't in full swing just yet.

But before we wrap up this story, let's add a couple of things that could come out of yesterday's news:

  • If Doug Armstrong leaves St. Louis and Ken Holland gets the boot in Los Angeles, Renaud Lavoie says Holland could be named to St. Louis to assist Alex Steen—in the role Armstrong is expected to take on, barring any changes.
  • We'll see if Toronto's new hockey boss wants to change coaches, which is very possible. François Gagnon (RDS) is telling us to keep an eye on Bruce Cassidy, who was recently fired in Vegas.


In a nutshell

– A busy night in Toronto overall in the world of sports.

– Speaking of which.

– Game day.

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