Destination Next: Nine NHL teams Brad Treliving could join as GM

Brad Treliving’s at the top of the available experienced general managers list in the NHL.

He hasn’t guided a team to a Stanley Cup yet, but over his nine years as GM of the Calgary Flames, the 53-year-old built rosters that claimed one conference and two division titles in the regular season albeit winning just two playoff rounds.

Whether Treliving, who walked away from the Flames at the end of the regular season, joins an NHL team in time for the 2023-24 campaign or decides to take a year off, he’ll undoubtedly have options to GM once again.

I spitball where he could wind up as early as this summer or a year from now.

Next-year territory

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are the most-obvious immediate landing spot for Treliving, with owner Fenway Sports Group stating they’d be looking for an experienced manager to replace the recently fired Ron Hextall. Pittsburgh has an interesting rebuild job ahead with aging stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Mallon and Kris Letang on scene.

Arizona Coyotes

Or should I say the Houston Coyotes Aeros? If the Coyotes finally bolt the Phoenix area after a decade-plus weathering questions of whether the team would stay or relocate to one of at least a half-dozen more-worthy markets, ownership or maybe even a new owner may want to start clean and spend money after years of maintaining a cap-floor roster.

New York Islanders

Lou Lamoreillo has earned the right to manage an NHL team until he’s good and ready to retire. He is 80 years old, however, and if Islanders ownership feel there is no true successor in-house already (Lamoreillo’s son Chris and Steve Pelegrínni are the Isles AGMs) with the team starting to trend down from a plateau of back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances, then Treliving would fit the bill.

Philadelphia Flyers

It’s true, Daniel Briere is first in line to become the next Flyers GM as he’s already in place as the interim boss and he’s been a member of the front-office staff for two seasons, purportedly to assume the job once Chuck Fletcher was in the rear view. Now with Treliving available, though, does that situation change? Why didn’t Philadelphia simply appoint Briere GM?

If Treliving wants to take a year off, though…

Looking ahead to 2024-25

Columbus Blue Jackets

Whether the Blue Jackets would be on the lookout for a new GM could depend on how lucky GM Jarmo Kekäläinen gets in the upcoming NHL Draft lottery. The big prize is Connor Bedard, slated to become the NHL’s next generational superstar. Columbus holds the second-best odds at 13.5 percent of landing Bedard in the lottery after finishing next-to-last in the overall standings. The last-place Anaheim Ducks hold the best odds at 25.5 percent. If the Blue Jackets don’t win and next season brings more of the same losing ways despite the presence of Johnny Gaudreau and Patrick Laine, maybe it’ll be time for the team to move on from Kekäläinen, who’s been Columbus GM for 10 years.

Winnipeg Jets

Given the Jets are at a crossroads with many of their top-line players — the likes of Mark Scheifelle, Blake Wheeler and ace goalie Connor Hellebuyck have one more season on their contracts before they’re unrestricted free agents — it could be time to move on from Kevin Cheveldayoff, architect and GM of the team since it relocated to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011.

Dallas Stars

Jim Nill’s done a solid job of guiding the Stars to a steady spot in the upper reaches of the NHL standings the past five seasons (the 2021 pandemic season notwithstanding), including a berth in the Stanley Cup bubble final in 2020. He’s 65, so if he doesn’t aspire to be the next Lamoreillo, it could be time to consider who’ll be the next GM as the Stars continue to transition its roster to a new generation of top-line players including Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz.

Boston Bruins

A shocking first-round playoff upset following a record regular season won’t sit well with Bruins executives or the fanbase. Should they choose to clean house and look outside the organization for the next GM … nahhhhh, who are we kidding?

That’s like me saying there’s a connection between Boston and Boston Pizza.  

Toronto Maple Leafs

To be honest, Kyle Dubas’s job is very likely safe now that the Maple Leafs have won an NHL playoff round for the first time in almost 20 years. If they had lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 again, however, the Leafs would’ve been Treliving’s Destination No. 1 with a bullet ahead of Pittsburgh. If for some reason Toronto stumbles badly next season, which is doubtful, then maybe maybe maybe Treliving would get a sniff in T.O. There is Flames-to-Leafs history, after all, with Cliff Fletcher nevermind the cavalcade of players exchanged over the years.