The Toronto Maple Leafs’ disastrous season continues to create fallout across the NHL world. After sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic Division and missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, rumor are now leaking over what exactly transpired in the organization in a fateful year.
Between a lack of spirit from the team’s top stars to Berube reportedly losing buy-in from the locker room, it appears Toronto’s season was doomed from the start. Now, for the first time since being fired, former general manager Brad Treliving is shedding some light on what went down in Toronto during his final year in charge.
Ex-Leafs GM Brad Treliving Sparks Fresh William Nylander Rumors
Throughout the season, William Nylander and Craig Berube often exchanged blunt but playful jabs in the media. At times, their interactions became one of the more entertaining storylines surrounding the Leafs.
Still, speculation about tension behind the scenes never fully disappeared. Leafs insider Luke Fox previously suggested there may have been a disconnect between Nylander and Berube due to what he described as a “generational gap.”
Now, Treliving’s latest comments have only intensified those rumors. Speaking on TSN’s OverDrive about what went wrong during Toronto’s collapse, the former Leafs GM reflected on the team’s struggles and hinted at issues involving commitment and consistency.
“I’ve had a little time to reflect and I’m going to do more of it. And when you’re the manager, you take responsibility for it. But I always say management, coaching, players, we all share, right? We all got 33% of the pie here,” Treliving said.
He continued by dismissing injuries and goaltending problems as excuses, then pointed to a larger issue within the group. “There was a fall off there, whether we didn’t have the buy-in, you can debate how we played a little bit,” Treliving added.
Although Treliving never directly mentioned Nylander or Berube, his comments about the team’s “fall off” and lack of “buy-in” quickly fueled speculation, especially since concerns about Nylander’s relationship with the coach had already been a talking point throughout the season.
Treliving’s remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with several analysts and Leafs-focused personalities criticizing the former GM for what they viewed as vague finger-pointing.
Edna Garrett pushed back strongly against the “buy-in” narrative. “I really hate that it’s summed up as ‘buy-in’ because that was not the main issue at all,” Garrett wrote. “Can’t he just admit they lacked talent and weren’t good enough?”
She felt the phrase was being used as a vague hockey buzzword that shifted the blame onto the players rather than acknowledging that the roster was not good enough.
Toronto Bag Head reacted angrily on social media, referencing comments made by Mitch Marner earlier in the season. “FYI: During the postgame interviews, Mitch Marner repeatedly said the Golden Knights ‘bought in.’ At least twice he said it to the on-ice reporter,” the channel posted. “That f**king prick.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. TML Domain podcast also unloaded on Treliving after watching his OverDrive appearance. “Everything I thought about Treliving was confirmed today,” the channel said. “I saw his interview on OverDrive. Just brutal. How he entered the interview process and inspired confidence in anyone he was talking to is beyond me.”
Toronto’s collapse remains one of the NHL’s biggest shocks this year. Just one season removed from competing in the playoffs as division champs, the Leafs cratered to a 32-36-14 record and finished with only 78 points.
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The 30-point drop in the standings stunned both fans and analysts, and now the organization faces enormous pressure to reshape the roster and locker room culture.
For now, Treliving’s comments have revived questions about whether there was a deeper disconnect between Nylander and the coaching staff behind the scenes.
