Brad Treliving has had one very clear advantage over Kyle Dubas

At the start of the season, rookie sensation Fraser Minten was the talk of the town. Minten came to Toronto for just his 2nd NHL training camp this season, and against all odds, he was able to secure an opening night roster spot over some very deserving names, including Nicholas Robertson and Bobby McMann. As a result, the waivers exempt Robertson was assigned to the Marlies, while McMann was placed on waivers for the purpose of joining the Marlies as well. Surprisingly, after scoring at a pretty prolific rate in the AHL, McMann had cleared. You just know that had Dubas still been in Toronto and attempted the move, McMann would have been claimed. Instead, the 6'2, 210-pound winger has worked his way into a middle-six roster spot with the Leafs and has scored 14 goals in 49 games this season, culminating in a 2-year extension worth $1.35M per season.

McMann's path to the NHL wasn't a conventional one. After 4 seasons with Colgate University, where his numbers didn't exactly jump off the page, McMann played with the ECHL's Wichita Thunder, producing 17 points in 18 games in the 2020-21 season before being signed to a pro contract with the Toronto Marlies that same year. McMann's production did not continue at that same rate in Toronto, however, as he notched just 4 points in 21 games in his first season in Toronto. After spending time with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers the following season, McMann was recalled by the Marlies and exploded onto the scene with an incredible 24 goals in his first full AHL season. He followed that up by producing 21 goals in 30 games for the Marlies last season. Now, a fixture in the Leafs' middle-six, McMann looks like a player, and to think, they could have lost him for nothing before the season even began.

Another player who recently signed an extension in Toronto also passed through waivers following training camp, as new fan favourite Simon Benoit had missed most of training camp and the pre-season with an unfortunate back injury. After being labelled as one of the worst defensemen in the league last season in Anaheim, Benoit has certainly turned his fortunes around this season, playing on a much better team. Had other NHL clubs known then what they know now about Benoit, there's a high likelihood that he'd have been claimed back in October when he was waived by the Maple Leafs. Instead, Benoit has endeared himself to the fans in Toronto and his teammates with his physical brand of hockey and willingness to stand up for his teammates. Like McMann, Benoit's path to the NHL wasn't through the draft, as the undrafted defenseman had to make a name for himself based on his work ethic alone and then develop his skills over time to put himself in a position to be a full-time NHLer. Again, he could have been had for free if someone saw in him what the Leafs did.

Lastly, and probably the highest profile waiver placement of the 2023-24 season in hindsight, is Ilya Samsonov, who was waived back in December after a horrendous run of play that led to him being entirely unplayable. The prevailing thought on Samsonov is that his $3.55M salary is the only reason why he passed through waivers. There weren't a lot of teams who could afford to take on that contract at the time, especially with how he was playing. However, I'm sure that if teams could go back right now, there would be multiple waiver claims put in on the 27-year-old netminder. Samsonov has posted a 6-1-1 record in the month of March, has posted a collective .926 SV% and appears to be the frontrunner to start Game 1 for the Leafs when the playoffs begin next month. Quite the turnaround by the former 1st round pick.

There's no question that things are different for the Leafs under Treliving than they were under Dubas. Treliving, just based on his experience and his body of work in the league, has garnered a lot more respect from his peers than Dubas had during his time in Toronto. Not only did Treliving act as general manager for the Calgary Flames for 9 years, but prior to his time in Calgary, Treliving was also an assistant GM in Arizona from 2003-2014. In addition, Treliving also played professional hockey, a distinction that Dubas cannot say that he has.

It is worth noting that the Maple Leafs did lose a player on waivers this season, when defenseman William Lagesson was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, but with Treliving having acquired the likes of Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson ahead of the trade deadline, there was really no cause for concern in Toronto, as the Leafs already had tremendous depth at the position.

Thankfully, there are some benefits that appear to come with Treliving's extensive experience, both as a player and as a league executive. Being able to retain all of McMann, Benoit and Samsonov has proven to be a huge difference-maker for the Leafs, especially in the second half of the season and down the home stretch. If Treliving's reputation has aided him in being able to keep players around, then it's yet another advantage that he holds over someone like Dubas, who doesn't have anywhere near the same amount of respect from his peers in the National Hockey League, even if he is a bright hockey mind.