With several names floating atop the pool of potential candidates to replace Kyle Dubas as Toronto Maple Leafs GM, one has reportedly emerged as an early frontrunner for the position.

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving appears to be that name, with insiders like Bally Sports' Andy Strickland, TSN's Darren Dreger and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman all claiming in one way or another in recent days that Treliving has the inside track on one of the most coveted front-office jobs in hockey.

"Brad Treliving is expected to be in Toronto this week to meet with the Maple Leafs. Obviously, he won’t be the only interviewee. There’s a ton of interest in this job, but as the organization began to consider alternatives to Dubas, Treliving was very high on the list," Friedman wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts article.

Treliving held the Flames' GM job from 2014 to 2023, with Calgary making the postseason in five of his nine seasons. But like his potential future employer, Calgary never made it past the second round during that time. Treliving also previously served as an assistant general manager with the Arizona Coyotes.

Most recently, Treliving has shown no fear when it comes to "swing-for-the-fences" type deals, salvaging Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar from the Florida Panthers after star Matthew Tkachuk made it clear he wouldn't return to the Flames as a restricted free agent.

Another name Friedman tossed into the mix as a dark horse was former Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Mellanby, who spent this past season as a senior advisor for the St. Louis Blues and was an assistant GM with the Montreal Canadiens for eight seasons.

Doug Armstrong, architect of the Blues' surprising run to the Cup in 2019, has seen his name linked as well, but Dreger says that, according to a Blues source, there seems to be no legs to those rumours.

"There still seems to be a good amount of speculation swirling around the possibility of Doug Armstrong as a GM candidate in Toronto," the TSN insider wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "High-ranking source close to the Blues says, 'All of this talk seems to be fabricated.'"

Armstrong, who already holds a lot of autonomy in St. Louis, is currently signed with the Blues through the 2025-26 season.

In addition to his Stanley Cup triumph, Armstrong helped Hockey Canada build gold-medal winning teams in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He was named the NHL's General Manager of the Year in 2012.

Several other names have been floated by hockey insiders and media outlets alike as Toronto's search for its next GM heats up. Predators assistant general manager Scott Nichol, Lightning executive Mathieu Darche, Leafs assistant GMs Hayley Wickenheiser and Brandon Pridham and Hurricanes AGM Eric Tulsky are all rumoured to be in the mix, with more surely to emerge over the coming days and maybe even weeks.