- Toronto finished 32-36-14 and last in the Atlantic, its first playoff miss since 2016
- John Chayka’s summer brought in Gavin McKenna, Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh and coach Jim Hiller
- Read below for what Chayka said about the roster he inherited
The Maple Leafs blew it up this summer and started over.
Gavin McKenna is the headline. The No. 1 pick landed in the middle of a makeover that also swapped out the general manager, the coach, the starting goalie, a chunk of the blue line and more than a dozen staffers.
Toronto went 32-36-14 last season, last in the eight-team Atlantic Division and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
John Chayka became the 19th general manager in franchise history on May 3, with Mats Sundin joining as senior executive adviser. Jim Hiller took the coaching job, and at least 18 management and support staff members were let go or replaced.
Chayka talked about the group he walked into, per NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger:
“We have some players that are some of the best players in the world that wear this sweater. And it’s (on me) to place the structure principles and give them the resources.”
Two days after Chayka and Sundin started, Toronto won the draft lottery from the fifth-best odds at 8.5 percent. A last-place team walked out of Buffalo with McKenna.
Before the draft, the new GM flew to the family home in Whitehorse, Yukon. McKenna took him up a nearby mountain in an off-road vehicle and described how that ride went.
“I think he had his eyes closed for parts of the trip,” McKenna laughed.
In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky signed a three-year contract on July 1 after seven seasons and two Stanley Cups in Florida. The 37-year-old is coming off an .877 save percentage, the lowest of his career.
Bobrovsky was asked what the move meant to him. Here’s his first media session in Toronto:
“It’s a blessing to join this team. This is Toronto. It’s the capital of hockey, in my mind.”
Darren Raddysh arrived from Tampa Bay in a sign-and-trade carrying an eight-year deal, fresh off career highs of 22 goals and 70 points. Emil Andrae came over from Philadelphia.
Up front, Nick Paul came in a Lightning trade, while Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen all signed as free agents.
Hiller’s assignment is obvious. The Leafs ranked 31st in goals against last season at 295, while his Kings tied Washington for seventh at 238.
Auston Matthews is the other question. The captain tore his MCL in a knee-on-knee collision with Radko Gudas on March 12, had surgery 10 days later and is expected to be ready for opening night. Take a look at him back on the ice in Tempe this month:
A franchise with two playoff series wins in 22 years just changed almost everything except the crest.
