Brad Treliving did more from a hotel room than four Leafs did standing next to Matthews on the ice
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Brad Treliving was incensed with the Maple Leafs' reaction to Auston Matthews' injury and personally decided to hand out some verbal lashings to those who stood idly by.
Under immense pressure and with his job on the line, Brad Treliving really must have nothing to lose and as he sat by watching his captain lose the rest of the season and his teammates do nothing; it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Treliving called the players who didn't respond, now the question is whether he moves them this summer
Unfortunately, Treliving was not in attendance during the game but that didn't stop him from getting up close and personal with several players who did nothing as Matthews tore his MCL.
According to Elliotte Friedman, Treliving took time out of scouting to personally call multiple players and talked about their inaction and per the insider - he was 'livid'.
I can't imagine he was too thrilled. The one thing I talked about is that I got call a call on Sunday and they asked if I spoke to Treliving. He was away, I didn't know.
I guess he called some of the players involved and he was livid. I asked what that was like and they wouldn't answer that part, but he did call directly. - Friedman, FAN Hockey Show (03/16/26)
I guess he called some of the players involved and he was livid. I asked what that was like and they wouldn't answer that part, but he did call directly. - Friedman, FAN Hockey Show (03/16/26)
Now if I were one of those players, I wouldn't get too comfortable with keeping a locker through the season and that includes names like Morgan Rielly and William Nylander.
Why it took the GM to yell at the players and not a leader like John Tavares or Jake McCabe is unknown, but it's going to lead to a lot of changes.
Morgan Rielly is a 13-year veteran and Matthews' teammate of a decade, and though he was apologetic afterwards, sorry doesn't heal MCL tears.
For a guy who very rarely takes action, this was clearly something he had no time to wait around to discuss and for good reason - it's his star player and captain after all. It's just a shame it took an injury for him to be a little more proactive.
Treliving was scouting while his captain went down, that's the clearest sign the rebuild has already started
It was a business trip that got interrupted for Treliving and now instead of being able to focus on the future of the club, he has to make sure that Matthews is able to still compete at a high level next year.
That's irritating in and of itself, but it shows that maybe he's doing more than we're giving him credit for. There's no indication of who or what type of players he was scouting, but clearly it was important enough to miss the Anaheim game.
It also gives the captain a lot to think about and whether or not he wants to stick through not only a rebuild, but stay in a locker room where the team doesn't have his back when things get ugly.
This latest incident coupled with Treliving's scouting trip means the rebuild is in full force, and it's clear that even if he's on the way out he's trying to do the work to set them up for a bit of success.
But that has to start with changing the culture and cutting the dead weight. After a few phone calls it sounds like Treliving has a much better idea of who that's going to be.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The Maple Leafs just pulled a classic Toronto move by winning a game they arguably needed to lose
The Maple Leafs just pulled a classic Toronto move by winning a game they arguably needed to lose
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 16|819 ANSWERS Brad Treliving did more from a hotel room than four Leafs did standing next to Matthews on the ice Should Brad Treliving be given the chance to change the Maple Leafs culture? | ||
| Yes | 170 | 20.8 % |
| No | 649 | 79.2 % |
| List of polls | ||