Let there be no doubt: The Maple Leafs need to clean house this offseason, GM included
March 22, 2026
Great piece. Not sure I have any faith Pelley gets it or sees it the same way.
29 comments
GM has only been dealing with the shit he inherited when he took the job I’d like to see him build a team he wants.
Pelley hasn’t made a meaningful decision since he got here. He’s a big nothing burger.
No doubt
The fans definitely want this but it’s easy for us to say replace them since we aren’t writing the cheque. As much as the leafs make lots of money they don’t want to waste it if they don’t have to. I’m not convinced they will it might just be Berube.
Keeping everything in place as it is right now is the best tank plan. Berube obviously lost the room long ago. But. They’ll most likely end up 6th last, and the Bruins benefit the most.
Other than the frustration that I think Berube should have been fired back in November when the team was spiraling (look at how Columbus turned it around with a coaching change) I think any speculation at this point is just purely to create clicks.
I think the simple reality is that there isn’t really any value in firing Treliving today if you don’t have a replacement in mind for him. Treliving can’t hurt the organization between now and the Cup Finals when teams rarely if ever make trades. If they make a change with the GM, it’s not like a guy is going to look at this current roster and be satisfied by it.
The daily “he’s absolutely staying….or not” articles need to stop.
The frustrating part in my perspective is the franchise’s desire to have a shiny toy rather than do what is right for the team.
Everyone knows you build a team from the net out , when we had all those high draft pics, those were assets to be used to build the team properly. Yes we need scoring and passing. Those are great things that every team needs but we also need grit ,heart, solid defensive play and great goaltending. The team seems to under utilize the other players and put their “stars“ in situations where they don’t thrive.
They have been trying to get this core to play the right way for years and they are unable or unwilling . Other than Keith, the coaches they had previously and Berube have tried to get them to play the right way hard on the puck and defensively. I don’t think berube the problem
Pointing out that tre saw the flashing warning signs in November, and sat on his hands. Built this team with snot and size but they were awful and when they were getting pumped every night did nothing to course correct. So worried about being tough to play against they forgot to be good at hockey. Poorly built, poorly coached and no futures, what a dud this year has been.
No changing anything till the end of season, and do it right when season ends, not when Cup is awarded..
I would seek the following people for the roles:
GM- Rob Blake (he’s won a Cup as an Exec and Player)
Ass’t GM- some consultant role, Chris Pronger
Pete DeBoer is an attractive coach candidate, but I would surround him with younger coaches because the Leafs will be rebuilding.. Maybe keep Steve Sullivan..
Anything less then a full year down of this team and rebuild the culture will be a failure! This team needs a serious culture shift top to bottom.
Cleaning the whole house means Pelley gets the boot too. It starts with him IMO.
The problem with management is unfortunately about optics. To fully blow things up and rebuild is admitting that the last rebuild was a failure. The leafs constantly make decisions that real contenders make. They always act like they’re one piece away from winning it all.
BURN IT TO THE GROUND
Also disinfect everything, fresh coat of paint, new culture, it means all of them. Including all
Players. Just wipe it out
When the end results do not change over two generations, no matter the team you put together, year after year after year, including supposed superstars, and management… there’s only one conclusion… This team is somehow Cursed and will NEVER win the Stanley Cup again. I’d love to be proven wrong, but won’t count on it a bit. 🤔🤔🤨🤨😡😡🏒
When you screw up the best draft luck ( class ) we have had since the 70’s and have absolutely NOTHING to show for it…
You gotta go !!
We have only been saying this for years
What terrifies me the most is that I worry Pelley is making hockey decisions. Which, I’m not joking, he’s as qualified as anybody on this subreddit in that regard. I felt that way when that article came out at the beginning of the year about him giving Tre the “green light” to go after a “blockbuster trade”
That was a MAJOR red flag to me. The Leafs had zero assets, which gave off the vibe this goof thinks you can make NHL 2009 style trades.
They need to figure it out. Not only is this team not winning cups, their drafting is HORRENDOUS. Absolutely incapable of drafting D men. Go look up every cup winning team. You’ll find teams that win cups without a stud goalie. You’ll find teams that win without elite offensive forwards. You won’t find teams that win cups without elite D men.
Media included
i want pelley gone too, i don’t trust this guy. i don’t trust any of them
1 gm and 4 assistant gms are not enough
How can you fire the guy who okays this?
He’s doing a tremendous job, it’s all about winning $$$$
meh, nothing is going to change until they have clear direction from the top. we will continue to cycle through gm, coachs, players, but until change from the top happens we are fucked. i know pelley “hey i just got here” put a lot of trust in chief, but he hasnt been rewarded with results. we also dont know the structure or how much tre’s hands has been tied from uppers either. i still think they need to wipe the slate clean but we have to also take into consideration that there may be other forces at play that we arent privy to.
Make no mistake, Berube and Treliving should be removed EXPEDITIOUSLY once the season is over. But you know who else should be fired? The person who thought firing sports science leadership was a good idea.
Unrelated to the team, MLSE also fired 80 staff members just last year, while recording profits of close to $200M in 2025.
There’s no doubt, to fans, anyway.
Everyone understands this except for the people that matter at MLSE.
How they going to fix the cap issues and lack of ready prospects in the system to help the Leafs ?
29 comments
GM has only been dealing with the shit he inherited when he took the job I’d like to see him build a team he wants.
Pelley hasn’t made a meaningful decision since he got here. He’s a big nothing burger.
No doubt
The fans definitely want this but it’s easy for us to say replace them since we aren’t writing the cheque. As much as the leafs make lots of money they don’t want to waste it if they don’t have to. I’m not convinced they will it might just be Berube.
Keeping everything in place as it is right now is the best tank plan. Berube obviously lost the room long ago. But. They’ll most likely end up 6th last, and the Bruins benefit the most.
Other than the frustration that I think Berube should have been fired back in November when the team was spiraling (look at how Columbus turned it around with a coaching change) I think any speculation at this point is just purely to create clicks.
I think the simple reality is that there isn’t really any value in firing Treliving today if you don’t have a replacement in mind for him. Treliving can’t hurt the organization between now and the Cup Finals when teams rarely if ever make trades. If they make a change with the GM, it’s not like a guy is going to look at this current roster and be satisfied by it.
The daily “he’s absolutely staying….or not” articles need to stop.
The frustrating part in my perspective is the franchise’s desire to have a shiny toy rather than do what is right for the team.
Everyone knows you build a team from the net out , when we had all those high draft pics, those were assets to be used to build the team properly. Yes we need scoring and passing. Those are great things that every team needs but we also need grit ,heart, solid defensive play and great goaltending. The team seems to under utilize the other players and put their “stars“ in situations where they don’t thrive.
They have been trying to get this core to play the right way for years and they are unable or unwilling . Other than Keith, the coaches they had previously and Berube have tried to get them to play the right way hard on the puck and defensively. I don’t think berube the problem
Pointing out that tre saw the flashing warning signs in November, and sat on his hands. Built this team with snot and size but they were awful and when they were getting pumped every night did nothing to course correct. So worried about being tough to play against they forgot to be good at hockey. Poorly built, poorly coached and no futures, what a dud this year has been.
No changing anything till the end of season, and do it right when season ends, not when Cup is awarded..
I would seek the following people for the roles:
GM- Rob Blake (he’s won a Cup as an Exec and Player)
Ass’t GM- some consultant role, Chris Pronger
Pete DeBoer is an attractive coach candidate, but I would surround him with younger coaches because the Leafs will be rebuilding.. Maybe keep Steve Sullivan..
Anything less then a full year down of this team and rebuild the culture will be a failure! This team needs a serious culture shift top to bottom.
Cleaning the whole house means Pelley gets the boot too. It starts with him IMO.
The problem with management is unfortunately about optics. To fully blow things up and rebuild is admitting that the last rebuild was a failure. The leafs constantly make decisions that real contenders make. They always act like they’re one piece away from winning it all.
BURN IT TO THE GROUND
Also disinfect everything, fresh coat of paint, new culture, it means all of them. Including all
Players. Just wipe it out
When the end results do not change over two generations, no matter the team you put together, year after year after year, including supposed superstars, and management… there’s only one conclusion… This team is somehow Cursed and will NEVER win the Stanley Cup again. I’d love to be proven wrong, but won’t count on it a bit. 🤔🤔🤨🤨😡😡🏒
When you screw up the best draft luck ( class ) we have had since the 70’s and have absolutely NOTHING to show for it…
You gotta go !!
We have only been saying this for years
What terrifies me the most is that I worry Pelley is making hockey decisions. Which, I’m not joking, he’s as qualified as anybody on this subreddit in that regard. I felt that way when that article came out at the beginning of the year about him giving Tre the “green light” to go after a “blockbuster trade”
https://www.torontohockeydaily.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/mlse-gives-maple-leafs-gm-brad-treliving-to-pull-off-a-blockbuster-trade
That was a MAJOR red flag to me. The Leafs had zero assets, which gave off the vibe this goof thinks you can make NHL 2009 style trades.
They need to figure it out. Not only is this team not winning cups, their drafting is HORRENDOUS. Absolutely incapable of drafting D men. Go look up every cup winning team. You’ll find teams that win cups without a stud goalie. You’ll find teams that win without elite offensive forwards. You won’t find teams that win cups without elite D men.
Media included
i want pelley gone too, i don’t trust this guy. i don’t trust any of them
1 gm and 4 assistant gms are not enough
How can you fire the guy who okays this?
He’s doing a tremendous job, it’s all about winning $$$$
https://www.reddit.com/r/leafs/s/Kde9Jn9QMr
meh, nothing is going to change until they have clear direction from the top. we will continue to cycle through gm, coachs, players, but until change from the top happens we are fucked. i know pelley “hey i just got here” put a lot of trust in chief, but he hasnt been rewarded with results. we also dont know the structure or how much tre’s hands has been tied from uppers either. i still think they need to wipe the slate clean but we have to also take into consideration that there may be other forces at play that we arent privy to.
Make no mistake, Berube and Treliving should be removed EXPEDITIOUSLY once the season is over. But you know who else should be fired? The person who thought firing sports science leadership was a good idea.
Unrelated to the team, MLSE also fired 80 staff members just last year, while recording profits of close to $200M in 2025.
There’s no doubt, to fans, anyway.
Everyone understands this except for the people that matter at MLSE.
How they going to fix the cap issues and lack of ready prospects in the system to help the Leafs ?
Ya, we know