Calgary Flames interim GM Don Maloney on Brad Treliving: ‘He left us, for his reasons’

The Calgary Flames and general manager Brad Treliving have parted ways. And while the club’s official line is that the parting was mutual, comments from interim GM (and president of hockey operations) Don Maloney suggest that it was more Treliving’s doing than the club’s.

Speaking to the media at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday afternoon, Maloney said that “He left us for his reasons, but we move on.” According to Maloney, Treliving told him on Wednesday morning – the day of the club’s season finale against San Jose – that he didn’t think he would be returning, and informed team president and CEO John Bean of that following the game.

“After eight, nine years, he needs a break from what he was doing,” said Maloney.

Maloney confirmed that Treliving had been offered a new contract several times during the season, but the two sides weren’t able to come to an agreement. During the season, Maloney and Treliving met with Bean to discuss the future, including a potential expansion of Maloney’s role and the possibility of Treliving moving on after his contract. That led to Monday’s announcement of Maloney’s promotion and Treliving’s departure.

Maloney said he’s been tasked with doing a deep dive on the season and what went wrong. He declined to cite a timeline for hiring a new GM, as he’s working on his deep dive before delving into the hire. Maloney will be meeting with head coach Darryl Sutter on Tuesday or Wednesday, and when asked if Sutter would be returning as coach, noted that “I am reviewing everything.”

Bean pushed back on the notion of a rebuild, joking he isn’t allowed to use that word, but reiterated the strength of the pieces in place. Both Maloney and Bean characterized the Flames as a talented team that underachieved, with the goal now being to figure out why they underachieved and fix it.

“We’re going to work very, very hard to bring a championship team to Calgary, and that’s the goal,” said Maloney.