Getty

The Toronto Maple Leafs moved towards terminating the contract of a beleaguered forward, ending an unsavory standoff.

For the first time since 2016, ironically the same year that they selected future captain Auston Matthews with the first overall selection in the NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to claim a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The organization has gone through multiple major changes in leadership since then, beginning with the termination of general manager Brad Treliving on March 30. Treliving had been with the organization since 2023 when he was hired to replace Kyle Dubas. There’s a new general manager in town, and it’s John Chayka, the controversial former executive of the Arizona Coyotes; franchise icon and former captain Mats Sundin is also back in the fold in an executive role.

And the first major decision by Chayka was the firing of head coach Craig Berube, whom Treliving hired in the 2024 offseason. Under Berube, the Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and earned just their second postseason series win since 2004, but blew a 2-0 lead in the second round to the Florida Panthers and suffered another embarrassing Game 7 loss on home ice before missing the playoffs this year.

And now, Treliving is breaking his silence for the first time since being let go by the Maple Leafs in late March.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Breaks Silence

Breaking his silence for the first time since being let go by the Maple Leafs, Treliving joined TSN’s OverDrive to discuss some of the things that went wrong and to also accept responsibility for the shortcomings.

“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.

Treliving then said that the club as a whole lacked a “buy-in” factor this season.

“We didn’t have the buy-in,” Treliving said. “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.”

One of the more controversial moves of Treliving remains the trade of Mitch Marner, who is currently playing in the Western Conference Final – the farthest he’s ever advanced in his career – with the Vegas Golden Knights and leads all current postseason scorers with 18 points.

The Maple Leafs Fired Brad Treliving On March 30

After it was clear that the Maple Leafs would not be in the playoffs, Treliving was dismissed, and a statement explaining the reasons behind the firing was released by MLSE president Keith Pelley.

“I don’t believe the current state of the team rests on Brad’s shoulders but after analysis throughout the entire year including countless conversations with key personnel and hockey observers, I made the decision supported by ownership that the team must chart a new course under different leadership to achieve our ultimate championship goal,” Pelley said.

John Chayka was officially named the next Maple Leafs GM on May 4.