Sportsnet Flames host Ryan Leslie joins the Maple Leafs as team host

There will be a new face on Sportsnet’s coverage of the Calgary Flames in 2025-26, as it was announced on Tuesday morning that longtime host Ryan Leslie is headed east to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as their team host.

According to the Leafs’ media release, here’s what Leslie’s new gig entails:

In his new role with the Maple Leafs, Leslie will bring fans closer to the team than ever before, providing unique insights, breaking news, and original features across the Leafs’ digital, broadcast, and social platforms. His work will span pre-game and post-game coverage, player and coach interviews, and special behind-the-scenes access throughout the season.

Originally from Port Dover, Ontario, Leslie’s been out west long enough that he probably feels like an old friend for most Flames fans. Leslie’s worked in the Calgary area for decades, including stints with Global Calgary and working as the host for Flames TV. He moved into his current role with Sportsnet on Flames broadcasts in 2018, and has been a fixture on the network’s coverage of the red team ever since.

Leslie was superb at setting the tone for Flames broadcasts, finding a great chemistry with longtime broadcast colleagues Rick Ball, Kelly Hrudey and Greg Millen during his tenure. If a game was important, Leslie was able to translate the gravitas of the situation. If it was a one-sided game on a Wednesday night, Leslie was able to help bring levity and humour to the broadcast.

And when things got heavy, such as in the aftermath of the passings of Chris Snow, Johnny Gaudreau and Millen in recent years, Leslie was flat-out excellent at finding ways to help his audience understand what those individuals meant to the hockey community.

Leslie’s departure comes a year after Ball departed Sportsnet for a position on Chicago Blackhawks broadcasts. We’ll see who ends up as Sportsnet’s new host for Flames coverage going forward, but they’ll have big shoes to fill.