It appears teams aren’t going to wait for the end of the season to start making changes. A day after the Vegas Golden Knights fired the most successful coach in their history and replaced him with an old friend, the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with general manager Brad Treliving. With the disappointing season the Leafs had this season, it someone was going to have to pay the price. It’s usually the general manager or the head coach, and, for now, it’s Treliving.
Making the change now indicates that the Leafs probably don’t have their eyes set on any particular candidate right now, and that they will conduct a thorough search for Treliving’s replacement. Outside of this season, Toronto had some success under Treliving’s short reign atop of the organization, but an inability to make it deep in the playoffs had him on thin ice entering the season, and their complete flop of a year sealed his fate.
Whoever walks into the position will have a lot of work to do, but might at least have a top-five pick to work with as there is a chance that the protections built into the first-round pick they traded away might kick in. Good for them. Will the new GM keep Craig Berube behind the bench? Will they make a splash by signing Darren Raddysh to an 8-year, $64 million contract? Who knows, but it will be fun to watch from a safe distance.
Hockey News
Mask on, mask off [Tampa Bay Lightning]
Breaking his face led to Emil Lilleberg having to sport a cage to protect his face. The absence of Victor Hedman from the line-up has given him a chance to step up and The Mountain Lilly has taken full advantage.
Lightning reportedly sign Noah Steen [Puckpedia]
It looks like the Lightning are bringing a European prospect across the pond next season. Noah Steen, a 21-year-old forward reportedly signed a two-year deal with a $972,000 cap hit that begins next year. There is a chance that the 2024 seventh-round pick joins Syracuse on a try-out contract this year, but no such announcement has been made just yet. Steen had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) for Orebro HK in the SHL this season.
Golden Knights fire Cassidy, hire Tortorella [Knights on Ice]
As we mentioned above, John Tortorella is back, baby! The former Lightning coach was named the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights after the organization parted ways with Bruce Cassidy. Torts steps behind the bench for the sixth time as Vegas looks for a new voice in the locker room as they cling to a playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Ranking the top 2026 Stanley Cup playoff bandwagons [ESPN]
The magical Sabres season would be a lot more enjoyable if they weren’t competing directly with the Lightning, but we can see why fans would want to jump on that bandwagon.
Backchecking the Bolts [Youtube]
In Monday’s episode, Justin and Jason chat about the weekend, Torts, and look ahead to the next couple of games.