I asked Chat GPT to write me a bio on the 18th General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brad Treliving, and here is what it said:
“Brad Treliving is a prominent figure in the world of ice hockey and sports management. Born on August 18, 1969, Treliving has made a name for himself through his remarkable leadership skills, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication to the sport. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Treliving has been serving as the general manager of the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL) since April 2014.
Growing up in Penticton, British Columbia, Treliving developed a passion for hockey at an early age. He played the sport competitively, including a stint with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Penticton Knights. However, his true calling lay in the management side of the game, and he transitioned into a front office role after his playing career.
Treliving’s journey in hockey management began with the Indianapolis Ice in the International Hockey League (IHL). He worked as an assistant coach and eventually became the team’s director of hockey operations. This experience laid the foundation for his future success in the field.
In 2004, Treliving joined the Phoenix Coyotes organization as an assistant general manager. He played a pivotal role in various areas of the team’s operations, including player development, scouting, and contract negotiations. During his tenure with the Coyotes, Treliving gained valuable experience and showcased his ability to make astute decisions.
In April 2014, Treliving’s exemplary track record led him to become the general manager of the Calgary Flames. In this position, he assumed responsibility for overseeing the team’s overall hockey operations. Under his leadership, the Flames experienced both successes and challenges, but Treliving’s commitment to building a competitive and resilient team never wavered.
Treliving has consistently demonstrated his ability to make shrewd player acquisitions and trades, as well as navigate the complexities of the salary cap era. His strategic approach to roster construction and team-building has garnered recognition throughout the league. Moreover, Treliving has shown a willingness to adapt and make difficult decisions when necessary, always with the goal of positioning the Flames for long-term success.
Beyond his work with the Calgary Flames, Treliving has made contributions to the broader hockey community. He has served on various NHL committees, participated in international events, and been involved in initiatives aimed at growing the game. His expertise and insight have earned him respect among his peers and the hockey community as a whole.
Brad Treliving’s dedication to the sport of ice hockey, combined with his business acumen and leadership skills, have made him an influential figure in the industry. As the general manager of the Calgary Flames, he continues to shape the team’s future and strives to bring the Stanley Cup back to Calgary. With his wealth of experience and a relentless pursuit of excellence, Treliving remains an instrumental figure in the world of ice hockey management.”
All of us here in Canada are familiar with the Treliving name because his father, Jim was on Dragon’s Den on CBC for years and he is also the owner of Boston Pizza. But Brad has made quite the name for himself alone. He had played hockey at a decent level including time in the BCJHL, WHL, ECHL, IHL and AHL respectfully. His stats were not very over powering with playing 90 Games in the BCJHL with 30 points and 261 PIM from 1986-1990 playing for his hometown Pentiction Knights and Ladner Penguins. In the WHL he played 65 Games, with 22 points and 71 PIM over that same time frame while playing for the Portland Winter Hawks, Brandon Wheat Kings, Spokane Chiefs and Regina Pats.
In the minor leagues he played 243 games in the ECHL getting 17 goals, 85 assists, 102 points and 811 PIM form 1990-1995 playing for Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, Greensboro Monarchs, Columbus Chill, Charlotte Checkers and Louisville Icehawks from 1990-1995. In the 1991-1992 season he played 14 games in the IHL for the Indianapolis Ice getting 1 point and 13 PIM in his time there. From the 1992-1994 seasons he played 15 games in the AHL scoring 1 point and 20 PIM for the New Haven Senators and then the Prince Edward Island Senators.
After retiring from playing hockey, Brad co-founded the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) in 1996. The league had teams located in Texas and New Mexico. After the 2000-2001 season conclusion the league merged with the Central Hockey League and the former teams continued to play in the league until the 2014 off season when teams folded and the ECHL accepted the 7 remaining teams that were in operation to join their league.
In 2003 Brad Treliving began his career as a general manager when he took on the role of the Assistant General Manager with the Phoenix Coyotes serving under Don Maloney. As the Assistant General Manager he was in charge of the Coyotes AHL team the San Antonio Rampage. He held those roles up until April 28, 2014 when he accepted the role as the General Manager of the Calgary Flames. He held that role of General Manager in Calgary up until April 17, 2023 just 5 days after the Flames season had concluded. And now he was officially hired as General Manager in Toronto on May 31,2023.
His time in Calgary lasted for 8 Years, 11 Months and 20 Days and over that time he was busy with 204 signings worth a total of $1,108,088,125, drafted 54, and made 52 trades. Notable players he drafted were:
Sam Bennett 2014 1st Round Pick 4th overall
Matthew Tkachuk 2016 1st round pick 6th overall
Adam Fox 2016 3rd round pick 66th overall
Andrew Mangiapone 2015 6th round pick 166th overall
He is not afraid to make some trades as he has made quite a few over his tenure in Calgary. Some of them include:
June 26, 2015
| BOSTON | CALGARY |
| 2015 1ST round pick (Zach Senyshyn) | |
| 2015 2nd round pick (Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson) | Dougie Hamilton |
| 2015 2nd round pick (Jeremy Lauzon |
June 17, 2017
| ARIZONA | CALGARY |
| Chad Johnson | Mike Smith 25% retained |
| Brandon Hickey | |
| 2018 3rd Round Conditional Pick (Niklas Nordgren) |
June 24, 2017
| CALGARY | NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
| Travis Hamonic | 2018 1st round pick (Noah Dobson) |
| 2019 4th round Conditional Pick (Lucas Feuk) | 2018 2nd Round Pick (Ruslan Iskhakov) |
| 2019 2nd Round Conditional Pick (Samuel Bolduc) |
June 23, 2018
| CALGARY | CAROLINA |
| Elias Lindholm | Michael Ferland |
| Noah Hanifin | Dougie Hamilton |
| Adam Fox |
July 19, 2019
| CALGARY | EDMONTON |
| Milan Lucic 12.5% retained | James Neal |
| 2021 3rd Round Conditonal Pick (Kirill Kirsanov) |
February 14, 2022
| CALGARY | MONTREAL |
| Tyler Pitlick | |
| Tyler Taffoli | Emil Heineman |
| 2022 1st Round Conditional Pick (Filip Mesar) | |
| 2023 5th Round Pick | |
| 2024 4th Round Conditional Pick (Condition not met, no pick given) |
And the biggest trade he made was of course:
July 22, 2022
| CALGARY | FLORIDA |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Matthew Tkachuk |
| MacKenzie Weegar | 2025 4th round Conditional Pick |
| Cole Schwindt | (If the 2025 1st slides to 2026, then this pick also |
| 2025 1st Round Conditional Pick (Lottery Protected) | slides to 2026) |
Of the 204 signings he has made, by far the biggest was when he locked up the previously mentioned Jonathan Huberdeau to a 8 year $84,000,000 contract with a cap hit of $10,500,000. Now this past season Huberdeau did not meet expectations but I am really confident that as this contract keeps getting older we will find that this was a bargain of a deal for such a star player for years to come.
Now that he is officially the GM in Toronto the next few weeks will be busy for him. On June 28 & 29 is the NHL Entry Draft, Toronto only has a first round, 5th round and 6th round pick currently. Also on July 1 Auston Matthews and William Nylander are eligible to sign extensions. Also on July 1st Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have full No Movement Clauses that begin. While William Nylander has a modified no movement clause in which he submits a 10 team no trade list. Why does all of this matter you may ask. Why, because if you were going to make a move that involves one of the “Core 4” players (Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander), it needs to be done probably at the draft. He will also have to figure out what the Maple Leafs are going to do with Matt Murray with Ilya Samsonov becoming a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) on July 1 and he will most likely want a pay raise since he has definitely earned it after last season.
There has potential to have some major turn over as well since the team has 7 RFA’s and 14 Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA’s) on both the Maple Leafs and Marlies rosters. Of the 14 UFA’s you would expect Luke Schenn to sign and hopefully he is able to lock up Noel Accari as well. The rest of the UFA’s are most likely gone as a guy like Wayne Simmonds might not find a contract for him somewhere else and a guy like Ryan O’Reily and Michael Bunting will recieve offers that will price them out of town unfortunatley with this stupid triple hard cap system for the NHL salary cap.
Also about the draft it has been reported that Calgary made the request, which was granted that Brad Treliving will not be allowed to participate in the NHL Draft from the Floor in Nashville later this month.
There are currently only two things for sure:
- Brad Treliving is the 18th General Manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs officially (Unofficially its really Brendan Shanahan)
- As we start the month of June, Brad will be very busy starting now and I don’t expect it to let up any time soon!
The next few weeks and seasons for that matter, will be interesting for the Leafs and hopefully Brad is the guy that can finally put the team together that puts them over the hump, even if he wasn’t able to get out of the 2nd round with Calgary in his tenure there.
Also about 30 minutes before the press confrence to introduce Brad Treliving today the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Kyle Dubas has been named as the Presidnet of Hockey Operations. In his press confrence he also stated that with it being June 1st it may be hard to be granted permission so he will be the intirm GM while they conduct their search for a permanent one.
GO LEAFS GO!!
And also, I’m craving some Boston Pizza for some reason…
ScortonBoy17.ca 
Leave a comment