MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley addresses the media after the firing of former Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Monday.
Opening Statement
Pelley: Thank you for joining us here today.
I am disappointed, as I sit here today. Disappointed, like we all are, in the results of the team this season, but I am personally affected by having to make this difficult decision and change in leadership for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Like everyone in this room, I have great appreciation and respect for the man, Brad Treliving. He is a good man and an excellent hockey executive. We will immediately begin the search process for the next head of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and during that process, Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy, two of our assistant GMs, will work together to manage the team operations through the end of the season and into the offseason.
I don’t believe that the current state of the team rests on Brad’s shoulders. But after analysis throughout the entire year, including countless conversations with key personnel and hockey observers, I made the decision, supported by ownership, that the team must chart a new course under different leadership to achieve our ultimate championship goal.
I’ve heard a lot of comments — a lot of comments — over the course of the season about my role as CEO and involvement in team decisions. I want to do away with that right away. Let’s do away with that right now.
I am not here to be a scout. I am not here to be a coach. I am not here to be a General Manager. I have no desire to give input on who should play left wing. I am here to create the overall vision and the strategy, and put the structure, process, and pillars, in place to develop the right culture for us to have a winning, contending team year after year.
Success in business, for me, is quite simple. It is about vision, strategy, people, and execution.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most storied franchises in history — not only in hockey but in all of sports. We must carry ourselves as such in every way. We owe that to our team, to our fans, and to everyone who has had a part of the club’s really rich history.
The team is blessed with the best resources in hockey. I can emphatically tell you, with the greatest of confidence, that there are many teams competing next month in the Stanley Cup playoffs whose expenditures on hockey operations — their resources — pale in comparison to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We have all the resources to be successful, but without the right structure, without the right processes in place, without the right culture, and without the alignment and accountability among everybody inside the operation, we will not be successful.
That change starts today.
Before I open it up to questions, I want to take a moment to thank all of the fans who have taken the time to reach out to me over the season — sending emails, conversations in the arena, on the street — to share their views and opinions. There are lots of them. That is what makes this so great: the unwavering passion of our fans. I’ve listened to all of them. I’ve debated with some of you. But I appreciate it. I appreciate the comments of the fans and their passion for his organization. We’re blessed to have all of them.
My one commitment to them is the same commitment I’ve made before: We will do everything we possibly can to be successful with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m disappointed in the results this year, and I am disappointed in the results that we’ve provided to our fans. But today is a step to change that, to get back to our winning ways, and to contend for the Cup on an annual basis.
Q&A
What is the plan to get to “contention on an annual basis?”
Pelley: The plan… When I talk about structure, I talk about organizational structure. It always starts with organizational structure. Once you have the structure in place, then you put the people in place, then you have the strategy and tactics, and then you move forward. When you have alignment and accountability, it allows players to be accountable to each other, coaches to be accountable to each other, and the front office to be accountable to each other, with alignment of the vision and strategy. Then you have an opportunity for success. That is what we’ll start building today.
The timing of Treliving’s dismissal was a surprise to some of us. Why now? Why was Brad allowed to be in charge of the trade deadline?
Pelley: I think we made the decision over the last couple of weeks. Once you make a decision, it is time to move. We made that decision just over the last couple of weeks through dialogue with ownership. Once you make the decision, if you get ahead of it now, you get an extra 15 days. It’s such a crucial and important search.
Brad is a quality person. We were going to announce this today. It wasn’t ideal to announce prior to a game, but he requested it, and we honoured that request.
During the trade deadline, he was still our GM at that particular time. We hadn’t started the full conversations about where we were going next.
What was your role in the trade deadline? Were you there approving, denying, or encouraging trades?
Pelley: No, I was not approving trades. I was not denying trades. I was there purely as an observer, just to understand the way the operation worked a little bit closer — to understand the structure, the process, and how we got to decisions. I wasn’t at the trade deadline with the Raptors, and I don’t plan to be at the trade deadline for the Leafs next year.
Did the trades that were completed at the deadline contribute to Treliving’s firing, or the lack of trades?
Pelley: I am not going to get into the details in terms of why we decided to move into a new direction. There are a number of reasons from the results and our record this year. Buat, at the end of the day, I just felt that this particular time was the right one to make a change.
When Brendan Shanahan was let go, you said you felt you had the right leadership in place. What went wrong?
Pelley: It is an excellent question. I thought we had the right leadership in place. There are a number of factors that played into it this season. Without getting into the details, I honestly believe that we didn’t have the alignment, the culture, or the structure we needed to be successful.
You can point to a number of issues this year. I am not going to talk about the injuries. The only thing I’ll say is that we need to be better. We need to be able to adapt more quickly. We definitely didn’t see the train coming that was the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, and how strong those two teams are, along with the likes of Detroit and Ottawa. Boston, with a strong spine, has been able to retool, and Florida and Tampa are always strong.
But Buffalo and Montreal have shown they’re young, energetic teams that will be here for a long time. With the prospects they have, from Michael Hage in Montreal to Radim Mrtka in Buffalo, they’re strong, and they’re going to be strong for a long time. The Atlantic Division is a really strong division. We’re really going to have to improve and be good to compete and win the Atlantic Division again.
You’ve talked about vision and strategy. Where do you go from here, in terms of the process? Do you come up with it on your own, decide whether to retool or rebuild, and then find the best available person to execute that plan? Or do you go out and try to find the best leadership in hockey you can, and they decide what direction to take?
Pelley: It’s a good question. It is a bit of both.
Vision is pretty simple for all 32 NHL teams and probably any competing in professional sports, and that is to win. That’s the objective. The vision is pretty simple.
The strategy is something you can develop, but you need to have the strategy aligned with everybody in the organization. The tactics come into play once you actually have someone in charge of hockey operations.
It all can’t happen simultaneously. The number one goal right now is for us to move as quickly as we possibly can into an exhaustive search to put somebody in place to run hockey operations, who will be able to make those decisions in terms of the tactical strategies. It’s really vision, strategy, tactics, the right people in place throughout the organization, and then accountability and alignment are the key.
When talking about hiring someone to run hockey operations, are you talking about a President, a GM, or both? How do you view the structure moving forward?
Pelley: There is not a definitive one way to run the operation. We have the resources, so we will determine what is the best structure to run it. You probably know there are 12 teams that run it with a President and a GM who is separate. There are eight teams that run it with the President and GM as one person. There are 12 teams that only have a GM.
There is no right or wrong way to run it. What we have the ability to do, with the structure and support of ownership that we have, is put the structure in place that gives us the best chance to win and the best chance to have the most hockey expertise possible.
Someone asked me this internally, in terms of one of the keys to the candidate we may be looking for: They have to be data-centric. They have to really understand data, the importance of data, and where data is moving. We have just completed a complete rebuild of TFC, all using data combined with cultural checks. That is what we will do. Every single decision we will make will be evidence-based. Evidence-based decisions are never wrong. That is not to say there is no room for the heart or for checking culture, but it is evidence-based.
I can’t tell you exactly what the structure will be. For those who know me, they know I am methodical in everything that I do from a structural perspective. We will take time. I will get more feedback from hockey observers. But there is not a right and a wrong way for us to build a championship team.
When it comes to a data-centric candidate, there is arguably only one in the NHL in Eric Tulsky. Are you willing to hire someone who has never been a GM before?
Pelley: It all depends on what the structure is.
Eric Tulsky has a very decorated background in terms of data and certainly has a level of intelligence that is beyond the norm in that particular area, particularly with AI.
AI is massive. It is changing our business. The whole thing with data is that everyone now has access to data and to AI. It really comes down to how you utilize it and how smart you are with it. Eric Tulsky is very smart with it, but Eric Tulsky also has strong hockey people with him.
I am open to any structure. However, I can tell you that you need strong hockey operations people with strong hockey backgrounds who will make key, critical decisions about the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Is the field of candidates wide open, in your mind? Do you want experience in the GM’s chair?
Pelley: It is absolutely wide open. I’ve already had seven people email me today. Our first point of business, and this happened quicker than we anticipated, was to get a search firm in place. By just mentioning that, I’d imagine I’ll have another 100 emails in the next 20 minutes, all suggesting they’re the search firm to do this.
No, it is wide open. Nothing has been determined with the final structure. We currently have six assistant GMs. Is that the right structure? What is the right structure? It might come down after interviewing candidates and talking to people.
We are open. At the end of the day, this is the most important decision that I will likely make during my tenure at MLSE. While I will be measured and methodical, I will have to expedite the process as well because we want to be in place, in a perfect world, by the time of the combine at the end of May, but certainly, as early as possible by June to get ready for the draft at the end of June.
How does the decision to move on from Brad Treliving affect the future of the head coach, Craig Berube?
Pelley: I think Craig Berube is the head coach, and that is determined by the General Manager, the President, or the head of hockey operations. That is not decided by me. His role at the hockey club doesn’t change today, other than the fact that he will work closer with Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy. Once we have a new head of hockey in place, if that recommendation is around Craig Berube at that particular time, we will listen. Something as big as Craig Berube would go all the way to ownership.
The question earlier talked about a retool or a rebuild. The way I look at it: A rebuild is needed when you are starting from scratch. We all know the Toronto Maple Leafs have foundational pieces in place. As a result, with those foundational pieces in place, if we are able to surround them with the right culture, structure, and personnel — both on and off the ice — I would say we would be in a retool, not a rebuild. Having said that, again, I will always wait for input from the new head of hockey operations.
What about the current roster convinces you the team can be successful next season?
Pelley: I won’t get deep into going through the lineup or assets that we have. We all know — everybody in this room — that we need to acquire more draft choices and prospects. But again, if you look at the foundational pieces or generational players that we have, and you look at how active we’ve been in potentially signing the most impactful players in the college [pool] with Vinny [Borgesi], who was the captain of the Spengler Cup and the captain of Northeastern and is showing unbelievable skill with the Marlies in such a short period of time.
We have to find a way to improve that lineup, and we have to do it rapidly, but we have the foundational pieces in place, which gives me the confidence we can contend very quickly. If we put the right person in place with the right structure in hockey ops, I’m convinced that even we can do it.
Since 2024, this team has gone from a Cup contender to outside the playoffs. What responsibility do you bear for where the team is today?
Pelley: I think I bear all the responsibility. It is my responsibility. I’ve said that since the beginning. The definition of success for my role is about wins and losses. Wins and losses with the Raptors, TFC, the Argonauts, and the Maple Leafs. I accept the responsibility.
When mentioning “alignment,” can you be more specific about where you felt there was a disconnect and where the shift needs to happen?
Pelley: It is an excellent question, and I am not going to answer it, to be honest with you. I’ll be kind enough to decline to tell you where the alignment was challenged, but we didn’t have alignment through all aspects of our business.
If you look at each team, each team has certain verticals, and the verticals weren’t horizontally integrated as they needed to be. They have to be. You can’t then have the right culture.
I am not sure how many wins or losses culture represents, but I am seeing it first-hand right now with the Raptors. I saw it first-hand in the dressing room two weeks ago at TFC. So, it matters.
Does the lack of alignment and the culture problem extend into the dressing room? If so, how do you fix it?
Pelley: I am not in the dressing room on a daily basis, so I can’t talk about the culture inside the dressing room. How would you fix that? First of all, identify whether it is a problem, and then you would have to ask the head coach and players.
Culture goes through an entire organization. I don’t throw around the word accountability lightly. It is critical. And accountability means that every player holds each other accountable. It is just like it is in business.
This is very, very similar to operating a business. You have to have a culture in place where you can have courageous conversations with everybody in the organization, and the first reaction is not defensive.
Holistically, how I’ve seen it is that the culture on the other two teams right now is a little bit different from the Leafs. It is something we have to address holistically. But I can’t directly tell you about the culture in the dressing room because I am not in there enough.
Can you define the word culture and how you like to see it run throughout the whole organization?
Pelley: I think culture is as simple as when you wake up in the morning, you’re really excited to go to work. You know that you can have any type of conversation with the people you work with. You have more laughs than you are sad.
There are so many different ways to identify culture. You can’t necessarily manufacture it, but you can put the pillars in place so that it happens organically.
That is exactly what happened last year with the Blue Jays. They had all the pillars in place — the pillars of having open conversations, the pillars of having accountability, and the pillars of having a team ethos of what you stand for, what you believe in, and what wearing the Toronto Maple Leaf jersey means. All of that leads to it. It leads to the culture.
Some of the things that happened this year shouldn’t happen in the Leafs’ culture. And it won’t going forward.
When you look at your portfolio with the four teams under your umbrella, how has that workload affected you and the ability to delve into every team’s minutiae?
Pelley: I have no desire to be into the weeds, or count paperclips at each team, or be as involved as deep as I’ve had to be at some point.
When you look at my involvement right now with the Toronto Raptors, the job Bobby Webster and Darko are doing is remarkable. I was very involved as we rebuilt TFC, realizing very quickly that with the two Italians playing for us, we had a cultural challenge. We moved 14 players. We changed a number of structural things at TFC. Jason Hernandez, who is the GM, is now running that on a day-to-day cycle.
I am a little bit more involved now with the Toronto Maple Leafs for obvious reasons. Again, I don’t want to be involved in the day-to-day. That comes down to having the right structure and the right people in the right roles. With the Argos, with Michael Clemons and Mike Miller — who is just spectacular as a head coach and a phenomenal cultural guy — I have high hopes for them this year.
My role is as the CEO. My role is not to get involved in the minutiae. As Darko said, one of the keys is that we need you to continue to run positive energy. If that is my role with the Raptors, I’ll take it.
As you seek out a new head of hockey operations, have any conversations taken place with Auston Matthews about the team’s future?
Pelley: Auston and I texted back and forth this morning, but I like to leave the conversations that happen with the players to the hockey operations people.
Traditionally, when teams go out to hire a GM or a President of hockey operations, the pool of talent is limited to people without a job — free agents — or people who you are offering a higher station in the NHL. You don’t often see people in your position go after someone to whom you’re offering a parallel position. Would you be comfortable doing that?
Pelley: I am comfortable doing anything that gives the Toronto Maple Leafs the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Period. End of story.
You mentioned the Blue Jays earlier, and they had a President and a General Manager. Was it a mistake not to hire a President after letting Brendan Shanahan go?
Pelley: No, not at all. As I alluded to earlier, there is no right or wrong way to put a structure in place to build championships.
