Brad Treliving hasn’t been shy making trades as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His next one is the most important.The Maple Leafs are in shambles at the moment, and it’s on Treliving to try and help his hockey club get back on track. He needs to consider making major changes to the roster, but frankly, if he misses on his next transaction, he could wind up placing a big target on his back.
Treliving’s trade history is very hit and miss throughout his tenure in Toronto. While there’s been a couple of decent transactions that have worked out, moving two first-round picks ahead of last season’s deadline for two players who haven’t found their footing yet with the team is certainly a tough look.
It’s unfortunate Scott Laughton has been somewhat ineffective since he joined the Leafs. Brandon Carlo underwent foot surgery on December 3. When he was available, he looked a step slower and less physical than he was playing as a member of the Boston Bruins. In both cases salary retention were involved in the trade. If you’re going to overpay for two players, you shouldn’t be overpaying for a fourth-line center and bottom-pair defenceman.It’s ironic that the Mitch Marner trade to Vegas, where Treliving had his hands tied due to Marner’s desires to head to the desert, has turned out to be one of his best deals. Nicolas Roy is coming into his own as a Leaf and is very effective in all three zones of the ice. At 28 years old and signed through next season, Roy looks like a nice complement to Toronto’s bottom six and gives them the right-handed defensive-minded centre they’ve long desired.Treliving’s in a very tough spot at the moment with the Maple Leafs, essentially between a rock and a hard place. His options include firing the assistant coaches, firing Craig Berube, or making a significant trade. If he chooses to make a deal, and he once again swings and misses, all the finger pointing is going up to the executive press box and not behind the bench. It’s unforeseen pressure for a GM of a team who knew this season would be different without Marner around, but didn’t expect it to go off the rails before the half-way mark of the year.With one draft pick in the first four rounds in 2026, only a few significant prospect, and a roster in desperate need of shake up, Treliving’s in tough, there’s no doubt about it. Especially since the team is hovering around the worst in the Eastern Conference and with limited hope to be able to claw back into playoff contention this season. It’s almost like if the Leafs would lose a few in a row and cement their place bottom-feeding in the east, it could make Treliving’s life easier because then he can enter sell mode and try to hit the reset button next year. Good thing the 2026 first-round pick is top-five protected because the Leafs could be headed for the draft lottery. Unfortunately for Treliving, if things get to that point, he might not be around to make the selection.
Brad Treliving needs to do something as soon as the holiday roster freeze is over. The Maple Leafs are in unchartered waters, and they need a transaction that’s going to create some positive momentum. The only problem is, if Treliving makes another head-scratching trade that sets his team back a peg or two, the next big shakeup could come off the ice, not on it.
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