The Penguins may have just done the Leafs a solid in their GM search
The search for a new general manager is in full drive for the Toronto Maple Leafs and where we stand today, it sounds like Brad Treliving is the "front-runner" for the vacated position. The former general manager of the Calgary Flames was relieved of his duties shortly after his club missed the playoffs by the barest of margins. At first, the Flames were barring teams from interviewing him - like the Pittsburgh Penguins - but coincidentally as Kyle Dubas was let go, the Flames changed their minds.
While Treliving may be seen as the front-runner, there are plenty of other options out there that will intrigue Brendan Shanahan, who is supposedly going for a more experienced general manager. One name that could revitalize the Maple Leafs and usher them into a more modern era, if Shanahan is willing to consider someone with less experience, is Carolina Hurricanes AGM Eric Tulsky.
The Penguins are tied into all of this, as they were keeping a very close eye on Tulsky and had him high up on their list of potential candidates for the GM job in Pittsburgh. However, when ex-Leafs GM Kyle Dubas became available, the Pens seemingly dropped everything they were doing to focus on landing Dubas and seem wiling to offer him a lot of money and power to turn things around in a very short order.
Ron Hextall and Brian Burke ended their lengthy post-season streak and the new ownership - Fenway Sports Group, who adore analytics - have been monitoring and eyeing the situation from afar for months on end. In doing so, they have effectively let Tulsky know that he is out of the running for the position. This is fantastic news for Toronto because he might be exactly what they need right now.
Hired by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014-15 as an analyst, he kept that position for 3 years before becoming the director of analytics. In 2020-21 he was named assistant general manager, a position he has held since then. Don Waddell seems to have a firm grip on the general manager's position in Carolina, so it seems like Tulsky is very much available.
Tulsky is one of 2 assistant general managers in Carolina, but he is directly involved with all hockey operation decisions, analytics, scouting, and contract negotiations. He is a massive reason as to why the Hurricanes made the Eastern Conference Finals. Perhaps equally as important, we never hear anything out of Carolina relating to disdain, circus-related drama, contract issues, or over-paid players.
What he has done for the 28th most valuable NHL franchise is remarkable, one can only imagine what he can do with the 2nd most valuable team, with all of those additional resources at his disposal. The Leafs are worth $2 billion and have an operating income of $116 million. The hurricanes, in contrast, are worth just $640 million and have an operating income of only $19 million. Give him a larger role, a bigger bank account, and a massive market and there's no telling what he could do.
The Penguins were enamored with him until Dubas came around, so thankfully for the Maple Leafs, he can be had if they stray away from the albatrosses and the dinosaurs with "experience". Nothing against Treliving, who did a pretty good job in Calgary, but Tulsky seems like one of the best kept secrets in the NHL.
Treliving did what he had to do last summer when he was forced into trading Matthew Tkachuk, and he tried everything he could try to re-sign Johnny Gaudreau, who left over $10M per season in Calgary on the table to sign with the up-and-coming Columbus Blue Jackets for less. He didn't want to rebuild or let the situation get out of hand, so he signed the next best free agent in Nazem Kadri and immediately extended Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, the main pieces coming back in the Tkachuk deal, to long-term deals.
Huberdeaubwas coming off an 85-assist and 115-point campaign, while Kadri won the Stanley Cup with Colorado last season, registering a career-high 87 points in just 71 gams and added 15 points in 16 post-season games. The head coach got in the way and Treliving's inability to let him go might have cost him his job.
Tulsky has everything going for him and if the Maple Leafs do end up hiring him as their general manager, the fan base and media members alike should be dancing in the streets of Toronto because he has the "it" factor to turn things around in a hurry. Yes, he'd be inexperienced at the position, but his fingerprints are all over the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been one of the NHL's top teams for a number of years. He could be the piece to help put the Leafs over the top and not enough people are talking about him.
There aren't many (or any) clear cut improvements out there over Kyle Dubas on the open market right now, so pretty much anyone who comes in may be a bit of a step backward, at least to start. Tulsky is one of the few options who could potentially be as good or better than Dubas. Tulsky has a bright future as an executive and the Leafs would be right to bet on this horse as opposed to Treliving, who just lost out on his two best players last summer. With two of the Leafs' best players needing contract extensions this summer, I'm not sure Treliving has proven himself to be the right man for the job. On the other hand, Tulsky is part of the team responsible for the first successful offer-sheet in ages, snagging former 3rd overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Montreal Canadiens back in the summer of 2021 in exchange for 1st and 3rd round picks in 2022. If the Leafs want someone a little more bold than Dubas, Tulsky might just be that guy, regardless of whether or not Treliving has more actual experience at the position.
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 960 ANSWERS The Penguins may have just done the Leafs a solid in their GM search Should the Leafs hire Eric Tulsky for their vacant GM job? | ||
| Yes | 513 | 53.4 % |
| No | 174 | 18.1 % |
| Who?? | 273 | 28.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
