Leafs’ next GM will have big roster decisions to make

Change is certainly afoot in Leafs land.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs poised to miss the postseason for the first time since 2016, MLSE president Keith Pelley fired general manager Brad Treliving on March 30th. With Treliving gone, head coach Craig Berube, who was hired by Treliving prior to last season, stands on shaky ground to say the least.

The question becomes, will the major changes in Toronto be limited to management and coaching positions, or will the roster itself be subject to the impending organizational shakeup?

Any moves involving forwards Auston Matthews or William Nylander would qualify as shocking, but the rest of the Leafs’ roster could be reworked without much uproar. Defenseman Morgan Rielly, who is in his 13th season in Toronto, could be moved to unload the remainder of his eight-year, $60 million contract, though he does have a no-movement clause on his deal. Even young, quality players like forward Matthew Knies were floated as potentially available ahead of this season’s trade deadline. Whoever the Leafs’ new GM may be, they’ll be under plenty of pressure to get this team back to the playoffs next season.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton were joined by The Fourth Period‘s David Pagnotta to discuss the changes that could be coming to Toronto’s roster this offseason.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Whenever this new GM is hired, what do you think the appetite will be from Keith Pelley on down for there to be a significant roster change in the next few months?

David Pagnotta: I think if Brad Treliving stayed, there would’ve been big roster changes anyway. This season certainly is not acceptable in their eyes, as it shouldn’t be. There was going to be some type of shakeup this offseason in some capacity with the roster, regardless. But now, with them looking to bring somebody else in, at least one individual, I can’t imagine, even if they bring in a GM or a president of hockey operations and a GM, that there won’t be additional changes to the managerial staff. Keith Pelley kind of hinted at that when he brought up the fact that there are six assistant GMs, and whether that is the right structure for their club moving forward. I am anticipating more changes once the new head of hockey operations, whether it’s president or GM, comes in.

There will be considerable change to this roster. There has to be. It hasn’t worked. It hasn’t come close. The players have talked about the frustrations this season. You’ve got guys now talking about wanting to keep this going, believing that some of the main pieces, the core that’s there. But the overall structure of this team, roster-wise, has been less than subpar, and that absolutely has to change. Now it’ll be done with a new vision in place.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Thursday’s episode here…