No.
Do we really need to get into this one? Brad Treliving felt like the wrong hire when he left the Calgary Flames and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had a lackluster record in Calgary, and he left behind a corpse of a franchise. Now, the Flames are one of the worst teams in the NHL after what he left behind.
In Toronto, the Leafs are in the worst position since the rebuild ended when they took Auston Matthews first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Honestly, this situation might be even worse. The Maple Leafs aren't just one of the worst teams in the league, but they don't have their first-round pick. Not only that, but they didn't acquire a first-round pick during the NHL Trade Deadline.
There was talk that they were trying to move Matthew Knies. The 23-year-old would have likely gotten the Maple Leafs a first-round pick, but Brad Treliving couldn't pull the trigger. He apparently even had the New Jersey Devils asking about him, but nothing ever came of it.
Brad Treliving should never come close to the New Jersey Devils
Sound familiar? Treliving was once a general manager who would take a chance. That's why his former team is sitting here without first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, but now, they have few assets and no path forward.
Frankly, we'd rather give Tom Fitzgerald a lifetime contract than take a chance with Treliving in Jack Hughes's prime. We can't be wasting anymore years with this core. If they don't start making the playoffs pronto, it will be one of the biggest fumbles of talent in sports history. Yes, that might seem extreme, but after scoring the Golden Goal, the Devils have proven that, with Hughes as the offensive leader, they can go places.
Treliving won't make the right moves. He's never had his fingers on the pulse of the league. He couldn't get this uber talented team to the next level. Why would we think he could take a team like the Devils there when two GMs have failed before him?
Maybe this was bait. Sorry about that, but we have to address everything that comes across the timeline, and Treliving being available is a scary landmine we must avoid at all costs.