Brad Treliving’s best and worst moves as Flames general manager
After being the General Manager of the Calgary Flames for nine seasons, Brad Treliving has now joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, let’s look back at his best moves as the Flames’ general manager and what could be coming to Toronto very soon.
Best Moves by Treliving
Early in his tenure as the Flames’ GM, Treliving made his first blockbuster move in the 2015-16 season. Treliving sent one first-round pick and two second-round picks to the Boston Bruins for superstar defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Treliving would later ink Hamilton to a six-year, $34.5 million deal. In his time as a Flame, Hamilton would accumulate 137 points in three seasons. Those three seasons were the best of Hamilton’s short six-year career.
Later that offseason, Treliving extended then-captain Mark Giordano. He would go onto stay with Calgary for five more seasons until the 2021-22 season. In that extension, Giordano would hit a peak in his career in the 2018-19 season. In which he would score 17 goals and a career-high 57 assists.
Worst Moves by Treliving
In 2020, Treliving added goaltender Jacob Markstrom to Calgary’s roster. Markstrom inked a six-year $36 million deal. In 2021-22, Markstrom had his best season yet, but in 2022-23, he struggled. The 33-year-old had a goals-against average of 2.92 and just under a .900 save percentage, both towards the bottom of his season-by-season career numbers.
Arguably, the worst moves of his career came past the 2021-22 season. Treliving let Johnny Gaudreau, one of the best young talents in the NHL, walk in free agency as he was unable to find a trade partner. Just before the Gaudreau blunder, Treliving traded away Matthew Tkachuk in a blockbuster deal with the Florida Panthers.
Tkachuk would go on to have a career year this season with 109 points in 79 games for the Panthers, and now is in his first Stanley Cup Final as well. On the other hand, Jonathan Huberdeau underwhelmed for Flames this season, only scoring 15 goals and 40 assists in 79 games played.
Can Treliving bring back the Maple Leafs past the second-round next season? Let us know what you think about his best and worst moves in the comment section.
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