If Treliving lands the GM job in Toronto, here are 4 Flames players who Treliving could take a swing at
On Friday, we heard from NHL Insider Chris Johnston that a potential decision on a new general manager in Toronto could be made within the next 5-7 days, which means that the coming weeks will be very telling as far as what the direction of the club will be under a brand new GM.
As far as what we know about the search so far, we know that President Brendan Shanahan would prefer a candidate with a great deal of experience. We know that he'd prefer someone who has shown the ability to make tough decisions in the past and adapt. We also know a few of the names who are believed to have interviewed or will be interviewing for the position. Per reports coming out this week, the list includes Brad Treliving, Jason Botterill, Marc Bergevin and Peter Chiarelli. That list may not be a complete list, but those are the names we've heard so far. There's also been some discussion over whether Jim Nill (DAL) and Doug Armstrong (STL) could look to get out of their current deals to jump over to Toronto, but they seem like long shots at this point.
As of this moment, Treliving is the perceived favourite, due to the fact that he was the first candidate named and the fact that he has spent time at length with Shanahan this week. He has the experience and adaptability that the organization seems to be looking for as well. All of this in combination points to Treliving as being the top guy at this point. Some reports have already coming out saying that it's his job to lose.
If Treliving does end up being the successful candidate for the GM job in Toronto, it will open up some interesting possibilities for the Leafs. We all know that GMs have "their guys". A lot of GMs have their own coach, their own scouts, their own executives that they bring along for the ride. They also have their favourite players. They have guys from their former organizations who they have come to appreciate on various levels, whether it be loyalty, flexibility, character, talent, work ethic, or a combination of all of these things. In Treliving's case, he's leaving an organization in Calgary who are expected to experience some changes this summer, even outside of the front office and behind the bench. There could be some player movement as well, which could open up some doors for the Leafs.
In terms of players I'd like to see come to Toronto if Treliving ends up being the man for the job with the Leafs, Elias Lindholm, Michael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Rasmus Andersson are 4 names that jump off the page to me. Now, the Leafs would certainly not be adding all 4, but what if they could pluck one of these guys out of Calgary? That would certainly shake things up in Toronto and give the Leafs a different look either in the top-6 or vastly improve their already fairly strong blueline.
Lindholm is entering the final year of his current deal, which pays him just $4.85M. He produced at a point per game last season, racking up 82 points in 82 games and he also notched 9 points in 12 playoff games last year as well. This year was a bit of a down year by comparison, with Lindholm managing just 64 points in 80 games. Things sort of came off the rails for Calgary this season with the changes in the on-ice personnel last summer. The team lost Johnny Gaudreau in free agency and traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, replacing them with Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. For whatever reason, the chemistry wasn't near as good as it was the year prior, and Lindholm's production suffered because of it.
Backlund is entering the final year of his deal as well and will earn $5.35M this season. The two-way center experienced a bit of a boom last season, posting career highs in assists (37) and points (56). He was the Flames' 2nd line center last season and he also factored in on both the top power play unit and the top penalty killing unit. We know how much the Leafs like versatile players who can help the team in a variety of situations, so Backlund would certainly fit the bill for the Leafs in that light. Also, brining in an experienced 2C will allow the Leafs to shift John Tavares over to the wing full-time.
Mangiapane has 2 years left on his current deal, which carries a $5.8M cap hit, so if the Leafs are looking to shake things up but would prefer someone with term, Mangiapane might be just the guy for the job. He's also a Toronto native, which I'm sure would excite both him and the fanbase. After scoring 35 goals last season, Mangiapane had set the bar pretty high coming into this year. Unfortunately, he couldn't crack the 20-goal plateau in 2022-23, but again, this is largely due to the fact that there were a number of roster changes for the Flames last season and they didn't play with the same level of creativity, obviously lacking chemistry for much of the year. Mangiapane plays a feisty game and has shown the ability to be a solid finisher.
Andersson might be a bit of a pipe dream, but you can't blame me for putting him on my wish list here. The 26-year-old Swede has 3 years remaining on his current deal at a very reasonable $4.55M cap hit. Andersson had a bit of a coming out party last season, when he reached the 50-point plateau for the Flames, producing 50 points in 82 games. He's a guy who logs big minutes in all situations and also happens to be a right shot. His production this season was right on line with where it was last season points-wise, but he saw his goal total nearly triple this year over last season. Last year, Andersson notched just 4 goals all year. This season, however, he tallied 11 goals, racking up 49 points in 79 games.
We do know that before Dubas was let go, he was finally opening up to the idea of moving one of the team's core pieces. In order to complete a deal with the Flames for any one of these players, the Leafs may still need to be willing to part with a core piece - and again, we're likely only having this conversation if Treliving is the successful candidate for the GM job in Toronto. Nevertheless, it's fun to think about some of the possibilities. This team needs a bit of a shake up and if Calgary is willing to be their dance partner, there's certainly some room to make a deal here.
| POLL | ||
MAI 27 | 609 ANSWERS If Treliving lands the GM job in Toronto, here are 4 Flames players who Treliving could take a swing at If you could only pick one of these four players, who would you most like to see in a Leafs jersey next season? | ||
| Elias Lindholm | 244 | 40.1 % |
| Rasmus Andersson | 151 | 24.8 % |
| Andrew Mangiapane | 158 | 25.9 % |
| Michael Backlund | 56 | 9.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
