Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving opened up on Wednesday about his dismissal following the team's disastrous 2025-26 season, accepting full responsibility for the club's failure to reach the playoffs.
Treliving Reflects on Leafs' Struggles
In an interview on TSN's OverDrive, Treliving provided insight into what went wrong during his tenure. The Leafs missed the postseason for the first time in over a decade, leading to his firing in late March and the subsequent dismissal of head coach Craig Berube last week.
“When you’re the manager, you take responsibility for it,” Treliving said. “So the responsibility is mine. But I always say management, coaching, players, we all share. We all have 33% of the pie. You can look and say there was injuries, but everybody goes through injuries. There was a fall-off there.”
The former GM pointed to a lack of buy-in and poor underlying metrics as key issues. “We didn’t have the buy-in. You can debate how we played a little bit. Biggest challenge for me, and I talked a little bit about it in November, was even the games we won on the scoreboard we weren’t winning, whether it be shot share, controlling play, driving play.”
No Surprise in Firing
Treliving, currently in Switzerland assisting Team Canada at the world championship, said he was not caught off-guard by his dismissal. “Disappointing it came to an end, for sure, loved every minute, but I understand it was a tough year and when you go through a year like that, there’s consequences,” he said. “There are lots of good people there and wish them all well and hopefully they can regroup for next year.”
He described the season as “a little bit of a death of a thousand cuts” and believed the team’s record did not reflect its true potential.
Relationship with Berube
Treliving defended his relationship with Berube, who was fired last week. “There was never a time we weren’t on the same page. You’re always going to have debates on certain things, but I consider Craig a good friend, a close friend. We talk regularly.”
Thoughts on Tavares and Rielly
Working with John Tavares and Morgan Rielly again at the world championship, Treliving offered his perspective on both players. He noted that Tavares has been playing the wing effectively, a move the Leafs might consider given their need for a second-line centre. “It might be something that they look at because he has been really good,” Treliving said.
Regarding Rielly, who may be asked by new GM John Chayka to waive his no-movement clause, Treliving said: “I still think there’s lots of game left in Morgan. Sometimes a change is good for everybody. I don’t know what the future holds for him, but I still think there is a good NHL defenceman there.” He added that no discussions about a potential trade had taken place before the tournament.
