Current favourite for Leafs GM job has one pretty concerning flaw
As Brendan Shanahan looks for "an experienced GM" to fill the void left by the departure of Kyle Dubas, former Flames GM Brad Treliving has been noted as the favourite to land the GM gig in Toronto. Is he the best option for the Leafs? With names like Brandon Pridham and Eric Tulsky out there, who have a plethora of experience as Assistant GMs, probably not, but he isn't necessarily the worst option either.
Treliving isn't scared of making a big move as evidenced by trading Matthew Tkachuk to Florida in the off-season for MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau, but there is one concerning flaw that should have Leaf fans worried. Treliving likes to hand out big contracts to players that are at the end of their prime. Just look at the deals he handed out in his last few years in Calgary:
Jonathan Huberdeau $10.5M until he's 37
Nazem Kadri $7M until he's 38
MacKenzie Weegar $6.25M until he's 37
Jacob Markstrom $6M until he's 36
Of the four players mentioned above, Weegar very arguably looked the best for the Flames last season and while much of that could be because of Darryl Sutter stifling the creativity of the big forwards, the remaining contracts don't exactly look appealing. Yes, Markstrom had a great first year in Calgary, but struggled mightily this past season and Kadri and Huberdeau came nowhere close to their previous seasons, production-wise.
The Leafs have a handful of free agents that are 30 or older about to hit free agency and should Treliving land the GM job, Leaf fans will be holding their breath when it comes to him handing out long-term deals to the likes of players like Justin Holl, T.J. Brodie (UFA next season), Ryan O'Reilly and others.
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 484 ANSWERS Current favourite for Leafs GM job has one pretty concerning flaw Are you in favour of the Leafs hiring Brad Treliving to be the team's next GM? | ||
| Yes | 93 | 19.2 % |
| No | 338 | 69.8 % |
| I'm just glad Dubas is gone | 53 | 11 % |
| List of polls | ||
