- Steve Simmons reports the Leafs will hold a Monday press conference to introduce Mats Sundin and John Chayka as their new front office leaders
- Chayka is expected to take the GM role while Sundin slots in as vice-president of hockey operations
- Read below for the backstory on each guy and why Toronto picked an unconventional pairing
The wait on Mats Sundin is finally over.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are scheduled to hold a press conference Monday to formally introduce Sundin and John Chayka as the new heads of their hockey operations department.
That’s per longtime Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons:
This caps weeks of speculation that started when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first floated the Sundin-Chayka pairing on his 32 Thoughts podcast in late April. Toronto had been waiting on Sundin to say yes, and it sounds like he finally has.
Chayka takes the general manager job. Sundin is expected to come in as vice-president of hockey operations, slotting in above Chayka and below MLSE president Keith Pelley.
It’s a real swing. Chayka, now 36, became the youngest GM in NHL history when Arizona hired him at 26 back in 2016. He abruptly resigned the day before the 2020 playoffs began and got suspended by the league shortly after for entertaining roles with other teams while still under contract. Analytics and consulting work has been his lane since.
Sundin, meanwhile, has zero front-office experience. The Leafs captain for 11 straight seasons left Toronto as the franchise all-time points leader with 987, and he held the goals record at 420 until Auston Matthews passed him in January.
Sportsnet’s Real Kyper & Bourne dug into the move with Friedman as a guest:
The Leafs cycled through plenty of names before landing here. They reportedly asked permission to speak with Lightning GM Julien BriseBois. Stars assistant GM Scott White was the other finalist. None of those moves came through, and Toronto pivoted hard to the Sundin-Chayka combo instead.
The reset traces back to Brad Treliving’s firing earlier this offseason. Three years, zero conference final trips, and an MLSE front office that wanted a clean slate.
Toronto hasn’t been past the second round since 2002. Whatever this pair can pull off has to start there.
