Toronto Maple Leafs fire general manager Brad Treliving

Set to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on Monday night, ending his tenure late in his third season in charge of one of the NHL's most popular and talked about teams.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley announced the abrupt change before Toronto played at Anaheim.

"Throughout the course of this season, there has been deep analysis into both the current state of the Maple Leafs organization and the direction needed to achieve the ultimate goal of delivering a Stanley Cup championship to the city," Pelley said in a statement. "Brad Treliving is a man that we all have deep respect for, but it was determined that the club must chart a new course under different leadership."

It's unclear what the move means for the future of coach Craig Berube, whom Treliving hired in May 2024.

"He gave me an opportunity here, and I feel like we let him down this year, said Berube, who won the Cup in 2019 with St. Louis.

The Leafs have not won it since 1967 and are on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention this season. This core — led by Auston Matthews — reached the playoffs nine consecutive years but won just two series in that time.

"He cares about everyone in that locker room and everything he did to try to give us the best possible chance to compete, put us in the best position to have success," centre John Tavares said. "Brad brought us all in here, (had) tremendous belief in us and we just didn't deliver. It falls on us."

Cutting ties with Treliving came just before a rematch against the Ducks, a little over two weeks since one of the touchpoints of Toronto's woeful few months. Matthews was injured March 12 on a