Report: Evan Gold, Ryan Martin among finalists for Maple Leafs GM opening

Both of these candidates are the general managers for their teams’ AHL squads and have experience working with the salary cap. Gold’s Providence Bruins finished atop the AHL with a record of 54-16-2, while Martin’s Hartford Wolf Pack finished on the opposite end, sitting dead last in the AHL with a record of 26-38-8. Their teams’ AHL success isn’t the be-all-end-all when judging the resumes of these candidates, but it’s an important nugget when comparing the two and evaluating what they could bring to an NHL team.

Gold has been with the Bruins organization since 2015-16, serving as an assistant general manager since 2019-20 and as the AHL team’s general manager since 2023-24. Meanwhile, Martin’s NHL career spans as far back as 2005-06, beginning with the Detroit Red Wings and earning a promotion to assistant general manager in 2010-11 and remaining in that role until 2021-22, when he took the assistant GM job with the Rangers. He’s also had a hand in building both World Junior and World Hockey Championship teams for the United States.

While it’s still unknown when the Maple Leafs are going to announce their new hires and what the structure will look like, the majority of the smoke appears to be in the realm of somebody like Mike Gillis as a President of Hockey Operations with a first-time general manager candidate like Gold or Martin serving below him. The Leafs have also reportedly held conversations with some alumni including Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts regarding jobs in hockey operations.

The Maple Leafs’ next front office leader will have a huge task on their hands when they’re eventually named to the position, and the direction of which it’ll be taken will be shaped depending on what happens at the draft lottery on May 5.