The 56-year-old leaves the Maple Leafs an organization in crisis \u2014\u00a0set to miss the post-season for the first time in this core\u2019s era, its future looking murky. Though, to be fair to him, Treliving inherited a team that was far from stable, too. When the former Calgary Flames exec arrived, Toronto was just coming off a dramatic off-season saga that saw Kyle Dubas ousted, the club thrown into a moment of disarray, and Treliving sought out to steady the ship.<\/p>\n
For a spell there, it seemed he had \u2014\u00a0the 2024-25 Leafs rode stellar goaltending all the way to a top-five finish in the league\u2019s standings, and a raucous series win over the rival Ottawa Senators. But they ultimately suffered the same fate as Dubas\u2019s Leafs \u2014\u00a0bounced by Florida in the second round. Then Mitch Marner<\/a> left, the goaltending magic dried up, and the whole thing came apart at the seams.<\/p>\n Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n Latest episode<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s plenty of blame to go around for the current state of the blue-and-white. The group\u2019s core leaders and head coach Craig Berube certainly wear their fair share of it. But focus in on the impact Treliving had in the areas he could specifically affect, and it\u2019s clear he wears it, too. His missteps on the trade market are a worthwhile starting point.<\/p>\n That in mind, on the heels of the organization parting ways with the manager earlier this week, let\u2019s take a look back at every trade Treliving made during his time at the helm, and what his work on the market says of his tenure as Maple Leafs GM:<\/p>\n Oct. 8, 2023: Maple Leafs trade Sam Lafferty to Vancouver for 2024 fifth-round pick<\/p>\n The first move was an odd one. Lafferty was shipped to Vancouver not because the Maple Leafs had no use for him, but because of cap issues \u2014 the club had no room for his $1.15-million cap hit, opting to use that final piece of the cap puzzle to give young Fraser Minten a shot instead. It wasn\u2019t a significant loss. Still, Lafferty was a useful depth option \u2014\u00a0quick and physical, just the type of bottom-six piece the club would find itself missing over the next few years.<\/p>\n Feb. 29, 2024: Maple Leafs bring back Ilya Lyubushkin in three-team deal (Toronto acquired prospect Kirill Slepets too, while Anaheim received Toronto\u2019s 2025 third-round pick and Carolina received Toronto\u2019s 2024 sixth-round pick)<\/p>\n The deal itself was fine \u2014 Toronto brought back a familiar face, with some salary retention, to plug a hole. But the context around it is more questionable. So light on right-handed defenders was the organization at the time, then-head coach Sheldon Keefe was forced to consider deploying Marner on the blue line after injuries took out his top options. Treliving set his sights on Chris Tanev but struck out, so the club turned back to Lyubushkin. He was solid enough, and filled a need at the time.<\/p>\n Mar. 7, 2024: Maple Leafs acquire Cade Webber from Carolina for 2026 sixth-round pick<\/p>\n A low-stakes swing. Coming out of Boston University, Webber \u2014\u00a0a six-foot-six, 220-pound blue-liner \u2014\u00a0has gone on to log two seasons for the AHL Marlies.<\/p>\n Mar. 7, 2024: Maple Leafs acquire Joel Edmundson from Washington for 2024 third-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick<\/p>\n At the time, this seemed a worthwhile addition. Edmundson came in as a seasoned veteran with Stanley Cup pedigree and plenty of playoff experience. He added some needed size and bite to Toronto\u2019s blue line. And while the 30-year-old was no longer at the level he\u2019d found earlier in his career, the cost to bring him in wasn\u2019t too steep. He was fine for the nine regular-season games and one post-season round he played in a Maple Leafs sweater,\u00a0before he\u00a0inked a four-year deal in L.A.<\/p>\n Mar. 8, 2024: Maple Leafs acquire Connor Dewar\u00a0from Minnesota for 2024 fourth-round pick, Dmitry Ovchinnikov<\/p>\n Dewar arrived in Toronto with a reputation as a solid depth piece in Minnesota, joining at the deadline to bolster the Leafs\u2019 bottom six. The bigger picture here makes this one look a bit questionable.\u00a0Dewar\u00a0didn\u2019t find a fit in Toronto and, as we\u2019ll see further down this list, was eventually shipped out of town. And yet he was a useful depth option before he got to Toronto, and after he left Toronto \u2014 he\u2019s since become a quality bottom-six contributor in Pittsburgh this season, where he\u2019s put up 14 goals and 30 points from the Penguins\u2019 fourth line.<\/p>\n Jun. 23, 2024: Maple Leafs swap 2024 fifth-round picks with Chicago, and again with San Jose<\/p>\n Not much to see here, simply some low-stakes asset management.<\/p>\n Jun. 28, 2024: Maple Leafs trade 2024 first-round pick to Anaheim for Edmonton\u2019s 2024 first-round pick, Boston\u2019s 2024 second-round pick<\/p>\n The Maple Leafs used the first-rounder they acquired (No. 31) to draft Ben Danford. Anaheim used Toronto\u2019s original first-rounder to draft Norwegian defender Stian Solberg.<\/p>\n Jun. 29, 2024: Maple Leafs acquire Chris Tanev\u2019s rights for 2026 seventh-round pick, Max Ellis<\/p>\n While the deal Treliving ultimately signed Tanev to is another matter \u2014\u00a0particular the six-year term, which now looks questionable \u2014 acquiring the defender’s rights was a worthwhile move. The\u00a0club had been desperate to bring in the rugged, right-handed blue-liner. And while injuries have caught up with Tanev, when he was in the Maple Leafs\u2019 lineup the veteran had an undeniable impact, both in terms of his defensive prowess and as an emotional leader. Trading away a seventh-rounder and a prospect who wasn\u2019t going to crack the big club\u2019s roster any time soon seemed a worthy price for working out a deal with Tanev before he hit free agency.<\/p>\n Jun. 29, 2024: Maple Leafs trade 2024 second-round pick to Florida for 2024 second-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick<\/p>\n Again, not much to see here. Toronto used these picks to draft winger Tinus Luc Koblar and defender Nathan Mayes.<\/p>\n Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n Broadcast schedule<\/a><\/p>\n Oct. 31, 2024: Maple Leafs trade Timothy Liljegren to San Jose for Matt Benning, 2024 third-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick<\/p>\n A\u00a0deal that made sense for all involved at the time. The 25-year-old flashed plenty of potential over the course of his six years in Toronto, but it never fully came together for Liljegren in a Maple Leafs sweater. In 2024-25, he found himself a healthy scratch for much of the campaign\u2019s opening month, and sought a fresh start. Treliving found a decent return, and Liljegren found a new opportunity. The Sharks traded the blue-liner to Washington two years later.<\/p>\n Mar. 7, 2025: Maple Leafs acquire Reese Johnson from Minnesota for future considerations<\/p>\n Another fine, low-stakes swing. Johnson remains in the AHL with the Marlies.<\/p>\n Mar. 7, 2025: Maple Leafs acquire Brandon Carlo for Fraser Minten, 2026 first-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick<\/p>\n This is where it all started to truly go sideways. And it\u2019s a fair bet this deal will be remembered as the focal point of Treliving\u2019s Maple Leafs tenure. The issue isn\u2019t Carlo \u2014\u00a0the longtime Boston Bruins defenceman was seen as a positive addition for Toronto\u2019s top four at the time, and while he and the entire Leafs blue line have struggled this season, Carlo was solid enough during that 2025 post-season.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s the cost that stung Treliving\u2019s blue-and-white legacy. First, there was the matter of Minten, one of the organization’s few prospects with any type of big-league promise \u2014 the 21-year-old centreman has 17 goals in his first full NHL campaign with Boston this season. Then there were the picks, specifically the first-rounder that came with only top-five protection, rather than the more common top-10.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the Leafs have plummeted down the standings over the latter half of the 2025-26 season, the fanbase has become consumed with tracking whether their club will fall far enough to keep their pick and\u00a0draft in the top five, or \u2014\u00a0more likely \u2014\u00a0watch this disappointing season end with Toronto shipping a high first-rounder to the rival Bruins.<\/p>\n Mar. 7, 2025: Maple Leafs trade Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins to Pittsburgh for 2025 fifth-round pick Mar. 7, 2025: Maple Leafs acquire Scott Laughton<\/a> in five-piece deal (Toronto brought in Laughton, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick, while Philadelphia received the Maple Leafs\u2019 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin)<\/p>\n This was another key brick in the path that led to Treliving\u2019s eventual exit. Again, context is key. With Toronto vying for a division title and gearing up for a post-season run, all eyes were on the front office to bring in some centre depth. Veteran Brayden Schenn was among the leading targets coveted by the fanbase. A deal was reportedly on the table, but the price was steep. In the end, Treliving pivoted to Laughton, but still wound up relinquishing a first-round pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n Laughton endeared himself to the Maple Leafs faithful and brought plenty of spirit to the club\u2019s bottom six, but the veteran simply wasn\u2019t the type of offensively gifted depth scorer Toronto needed. The pressure on him was immense, it didn\u2019t work out, and the Maple Leafs wound up moving him a year later.<\/p>\n Jun. 30, 2025: Maple Leafs acquire Matias Maccelli for 2027 third-round pick<\/p>\n Once again, context is important here. This deal alone was just fine \u2014\u00a0a flyer on a depth winger who\u2019d showed some promise. The issue wasn’t necessarily the addition itself, it was how Maccelli fit into the overall project of rebuilding the Maple Leafs\u2019 offence as Marner prepared to move on from Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n A\u00a0central misstep that sunk the Leafs this season was the front office falling short in using the cap space gained by Marner\u2019s exit to bring in players who could replace No. 16\u2019s offensive impact.\u00a0Maccelli would\u2019ve been a decent acquisition as a depth contributor,\u00a0but he was instead slotted in as a top-line option alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, in a spot that was crucial to get right. It was a big swing that seemed unlikely to work out. As the final weeks of the season arrive, it\u2019s fair to say it hasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jul. 1, 2025: Maple Leafs acquire Nicolas Roy<\/a> from Vegas in Mitch Marner sign-and-trade<\/p>\n Treliving did well in acquiring some centre depth here, rather than losing Marner for nothing. Still, the fact that the situation got to this point at all seems another key bit of mismanagement. There was a calculated risk taken to keep Marner in the final year of his deal, with the hope of attaining some last-gasp playoff glory. Then came the ill-timed request for the winger to waive his no-trade clause mid-season for a potential Mikko Rantanen deal, expectedly denied. Ultimately, the Maple Leafs lost one of their most valuable assets \u2014 a 100-point, Selke-nominated, Olympic-calibre playmaker \u2014 while recouping only a depth pivot they traded away a year later.<\/p>\n Jul. 10, 2025: Maple Leafs trade Ryan Reaves to San Jose for Henry Thrun<\/p>\n A decent deal to bring in some blue-line depth, undoing a Treliving signing for the veteran Reaves, who never quite found a consistent role in the club\u2019s bottom six.<\/p>\n![\"32](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/32THOUGHTS_500X500_ICON_V2-500x360.jpg\"){kind=icon}
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It pales in comparison to the deal above, but this one feels like another unnecessary misstep. While Dewar didn\u2019t make much of an impact in Toronto, the rest of the forward’s career suggests he\u2019s a useful bottom-six talent if deployed correctly. As mentioned earlier, he\u2019s gone on to put up a career-best campaign for Kyle Dubas and the seemingly playoff-bound Penguins this season. Toronto traded away Dewar, and decent depth defender Timmins, to Pittsburgh essentially for free.<\/p>\n