Treliving out as Flames general manager after 9 seasons

CALGARY -- Brad Treliving will not return as general manager of the Calgary Flames.

Treliving, who was hired April 28, 2014, by then-team president Brian Burke, will not return to the role after he and the Flames mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday. He contract was set to expire June 30.
Don Maloney, who just completed his fifth season as senior vice president of hockey operations with Calgary, was promoted to president of hockey operations and will serve as interim GM.
"Today's not a good day for me. It's not. Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight and we're not playing, No. 1," Maloney said. "No. 2, Brad Treliving is a good friend and I think a really good hockey man. He left us for his reasons. But we move on."
A hiring to replace Treliving will be on Maloney's to-do list but will come after he completes a deep dive into what went wrong for the Flames, who finished 38-27-17 this season, two points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. It's the second time in three seasons that Calgary has failed to qualify for the postseason.
The Flames have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2004.
"We have a team that I believe should've been in the playoffs ... not only make the playoffs, but be a hard out in the playoffs," Maloney said. "We didn't, and we failed to achieve. That starts at the management level, which I was a part of, the coaching, the players, the training, the organization. We have to do a deep look in how we operate, how we make decisions, and fix it."
A timeline for hiring a new GM, to be decided upon by Maloney and CSEC president and CEO John Bean, has not yet been established.
"We'll get the format in place, the template, per se, what we want in a GM, what we're looking for, what's important for Calgary," Maloney said. "Together, we're going to figure out what we need for this group of players and how we bring success here.
"I don't see it dragging out for a year and a half, nor do I think it's going to be Friday that we're going to parade out a new manager."
The Flames were 362-265-73 in nine seasons under Treliving and went through five coaches during his tenure -- Bob Hartley, Glen Gulutzan, Bill Peters, Geoff Ward and current coach Darryl Sutter.
Sutter, hired by Treliving on March 5, 2021, signed a two-year extension Oct. 8, 2022.
Maloney didn't immediately commit to Sutter being back next season.
"I am reviewing everything in the organization...management, coaching, players, scouting, how we first of all with what happened and why we underachieved and how we make this the best organization to obtain our goals," he said.
Treliving oversaw an overhaul of the Flames roster this past offseason, including the NHL's first sign-and-trade deal with the Florida Panthers on July 25, acquiring Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk.
The trade came after Tkachuk, a restricted free agent, indicated he would not sign a long-term deal with Calgary after unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau opted to leave after nine seasons to sign a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 13, 2022.
Treliving adds to the high-profile list of departures.
"I think each one of those have individual circumstances and reasons for their decisions," Bean said. "I'm not going to re-trade and rehash the last two and I'm not going to get too deep on this one. We have a great organization and a really good team. This is painful to come into work today on a Monday and not be in the playoffs. We have a good team. We've got to make some decisions and go forward and have better success next year."
Maloney, prior to joining the Flames, spent nine seasons as executive vice president, general manager and alternate governor of the Arizona Coyotes. Treliving was Maloney's assistant GM in Arizona when he was hired by Calgary.
He spent 10 seasons as a member of the New York Rangers' front office, serving as their vice president of player personnel and assistant GM, and logged 765 regular season games over 13 NHL seasons with the Rangers, Hartford Whalers and New York Islanders.
"Brad, as you all know and was reported, was offered an extension," Maloney said. "He was wanted back. In training camp to begin and several times. There was a point John and I had a conversation, with Brad, and the first thing John asked me 'are you guys a partnership...do you guys both go together?'
"My feeling was I like it in Calgary. I like the people. I like the personnel. I like the staff. I like working with them. Really I thought for sure Brad would -resign, and I'm as close to him as anybody. When he told me Wednesday he couldn't do it, that was the first time the reality was that he just needs to take some time."