Looking Back: ‘This Trade Alone Should Have Cost Treliving His Job’

“This trade alone should have cost Treliving his job during this season,” writes one commenter on a post entitled, ‘Fraser Minten for Brandon Carlo: The trade that haunts the Maple Leafs‘ – by Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Others followed suit, wondering just how it is that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving was able to keep his position, given how bad the Fraser Minten-for-Brandon Carlo trade has turned out.

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Couple that with the way the 2025-26 season has gone for Toronto, and it’s no wonder fans are frustrated.

Johnston starts his post by writing, “A trade that could wind up haunting the Toronto Maple Leafs for years only took about an hour to consummate.” It was a deal that the Leafs had looked at during the 2025 trade deadline, but only pulled off at the last minute. They rushed to get it done, and Boston took advantage.

Asked why the Leafs ended up with only top-5 protection in the trade, Treliving told reporters: “Because that’s what we had to do to get the deal done last year.” He said he pushed for better terms, but the Bruins weren’t budging.

The Bruins Won the Minten Trade

The Bruins clearly won the deal. Carlo is not at all the defensive stalwart the Maple Leafs thought they were getting. As Johnston notes, Minten comes into the game between the Leafs and Bruins on Tuesday night as Boston’s top center. His 31 points in 70 games would rank seventh among Leafs forwards this season.

While the trade was seen as smart (though somewhat risky) at the time, subsequent comments on Johnston’s post have shifted to blaming Treliving for a massive mistake. To some, Treliving has only made matters worse.

“It’s not even the trade that should. It’s the fact that this season has been derailed since the start, and he has done, literally, nothing to even try and change it. No trades to improve the team. No coaching change. Nothing. The trade felt expensive last year, but everyone was up in arms about how much Laughton cost, not as much about Carlo, who was thought to be a top 4 RHD with retention and term left.”

They add that Treliving not doing anything this season to course correct is what should be his undoing. “Treliving was a mistake from the moment he got hired and has closed this team’s window faster than any other factor,” writes another reader.

This will go down as one of Treliving’s worst trades as GM of the Maple Leafs. Minten could have been a big part of their future, and Carlo looks like a player on the verge of being traded. But was it a bad enough trade that Treliving should be relieved of his duties?

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: McDavid Comments, Leafs Trades, Sens