Anton Thun says the Maple Leafs’ dumpster fire goes far beyond Brad Treliving
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Former player agent Anton Thun believes the problems with the Maple Leafs lie deeper than just Brad Treliving and urged the club to reevaluate all their options.
With the Maple Leafs' focus now solely set on finding a new leadership group to help lead them into the future, there is one player agent who is warning that just a President or GM fix isn't going to fix anything if there are other problems still afoot.
The Anton Thun revelation and why the Maple Leafs Assistant GMs are in a territory of fear
Former player agent Anton Thun was a guest on Jeff Marek's 'The Sheet' and explained that the problems with the Maple Leafs lie deeper than just Treliving and while it was a good start, there has to be a different team altogether and not just one or two names being changed:
They actually have to do a better assessment than just firing Brad Treliving. I don't think the whole organization was Brad Treliving making mistakes, it was everyone pitching in to that dumpster fire.
The question is 'Who was pitching in and who had the fire hoses trying to save the Maple Leafs?'
The question is 'Who was pitching in and who had the fire hoses trying to save the Maple Leafs?'
It's a straightforward and blunt perspective from someone outside the zeitgeist right now, but honestly he brings up some pretty good points. Not everyone is at fault, and there are clearly some guys in the front office who want to make things better.
But when the loudest voices start to sway decisions, those who are more reserved or may not be so brash with their ideas might be ignored.
Was Brad Treliving hoping that Shane Doan was his muse? Did Hayley Wickenheiser have any say in things? Are Ryan Hardy and Brandon Pridham actually good enough?
It's a situation where there are too many cooks in the kitchen and people are too scared to say otherwise, so they nod their head, smile, and sit there with the knowledge that they could fix things — if people would listen.
The Darren Ferris connection and why Toronto needs a total value reset in the front office
Thun, who was a part of Quartexx Management, also worked closely with Quartexx Executive Director and player agent Darren Ferris. Those in Maple Leafs land know him all too well as the agent for Mitch Marner, who drove a hard bargain and often drew the ire of fans for his attitude.
But if there's anyone who knows how deep the problems go, it's Thun. He was someone who was close to Ferris and no doubt there was some information shared between the two; even casually.
Knowing that Marner's situation was so touch and go, Thun's comments show that maybe there were a couple people in Brad Treliving's ear we didn't know about who helped sway decisions one way or another — maybe someone gave Marner bad advice too.
Thun doesn't exactly have the solution and he didn't outright state that Toronto needs to fire everyone. But with someone who has the extensive history and knowledge of the group it might behoove the Maple Leafs to heed his words closely.
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