Matthew Tkachuk gives his honest opinion of the Leafs hiring ex-Flames GM Brad Treliving
When Brad Treliving was announced as the 18th GM in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history, the news was met with some cautious optimism, but, as with any major announcement, some in Leafs Nation were also extremely critical of the move, as it was not a clear upgrade over Kyle Dubas in their minds.
Whether the move, in reality, is an upgrade or a downgrade remains to be seen. We know how, largely, how the fanbase feels, but all indications from anyone who has worked with Treliving or for him in the past all have similar things to say about his tremendous character and relentless work ethic.
Treliving has been given a huge vote of confidence from a number of people in and around the hockey community, but perhaps none more surprising than Matthew Tkachuk, who requested a trade out of Calgary last summer. Tkachuk caught up with NHL.com to discuss the Leafs' hiring of Treliving and he had nothing but wonderful things to say, giving Treliving a glowing review.
"I saw on Twitter that he was going to be named, so I sent him a text right away. He's an awesome guy and a great GM. He'll do great there. He did an unreal job in Calgary, so I know he'll be great there.. I can't tell you what the specific differences might be, but he's one of the most respected people in the business.
I know what the pressure is like playing in Canada. I can't speak to what it's like for the specifics of his job, but he certainly handled it well in Calgary, which is obviously a Canadian market. I truly believe he'll be successful [in Toronto].
I still have a great relationship with 'Tree' and we still talk once in a while. Either he'll reach out or I'll reach out. He's one of the best, most well respected GMs in hockey and pretty much could have gotten another job in hockey - pretty much any [job] he wanted. He probably had his pick of where to go, and that's exciting.
I don't really know what happened there in Calgary, but I know I liked my time with him. He was super great to all the players and everybody." - Tkachuk on Treliving landing the Leafs' GM job
I know what the pressure is like playing in Canada. I can't speak to what it's like for the specifics of his job, but he certainly handled it well in Calgary, which is obviously a Canadian market. I truly believe he'll be successful [in Toronto].
I still have a great relationship with 'Tree' and we still talk once in a while. Either he'll reach out or I'll reach out. He's one of the best, most well respected GMs in hockey and pretty much could have gotten another job in hockey - pretty much any [job] he wanted. He probably had his pick of where to go, and that's exciting.
I don't really know what happened there in Calgary, but I know I liked my time with him. He was super great to all the players and everybody." - Tkachuk on Treliving landing the Leafs' GM job
For a player like Tkachuk, who has had a close relationship with Treliving since being drafted by the Flames 6th overall back in 2016, to have gone through a breakup of sorts in Calgary and put Treliving in a very precarious position and to still have a great relationship with him and to speak so highly of him - it sort of just gives you hope as a Leafs fan that the club may have hired a quality GM, who, like Kyle Dubas, cares about his players and his colleagues. Maybe the move is a better one than many are deeming it to be in the early-going.
| POLL | ||
1 JUIN | 1138 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk gives his honest opinion of the Leafs hiring ex-Flames GM Brad Treliving Will Matthew Tkachuk win the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP? | ||
| Yes | 634 | 55.7 % |
| No | 504 | 44.3 % |
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