Toronto Adds Sundin and Chayka

The Toronto Maple Leafs officially announced the hirings of Mats Sundin and John Chayka on Sunday afternoon. After a month-long search, they have hired Chayka as their new general manager and Sundin as Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations.

Many people have questions about Chayka becoming the GM choice for Toronto. It’s one of the biggest jobs in the NHL, and one of the most difficult. It will be even harder for Chayka since the Leafs are in a precarious position right now.

The first order of business for Chayka will be to see if the lottery balls fall in the Leafs’ favor on Tuesday. Toronto will enter the NHL draft with the 5th overall draft pick. They need to stay there or move up to keep the pick. Otherwise, it will go to the Boston Bruins as part of the Brandon Carlo trade.

Toronto Hires a Questionable Choice

Chayka has a bit of a shaky past; he is going to need to shed it if he hopes to gain the trust of Leafs Nation. He’s only ever had one NHL job, as general manager for the Arizona Coyotes. That job led to no sustained success and resulted in his being fired due to some controversial amateur scouting practices, and the fact that he was looking for a job with the New Jersey Devils while still being employed by the Coyotes.

It was not a great choice on his part, but hopefully he’s learned more about what to do and what not to do. However, some Toronto fans are uncertain (rightfully so) if Chayka is the right general manager for this team. For others who are less skeptical, they just needed to hear what he had to say. Luckily for them, Chayka was able to say everything they needed to hear.

“I’m honoured to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and excited to work alongside Mats and the entire organization,” Chayka said. “This is one of hockey’s most historic franchises, with a passionate fan base who want to win. I’m focused on building a team that is competitive, driven, and relentless. One that is in the best position to win for our fans and for the city of Toronto.”

Management Fallout

With Toronto bringing in Chayka and Sundin, there was bound to be some fallout. The first person appears to be Shane Doan. Doan was a special adviser to general manager Brad Treliving. He assisted with player development, trades, free agency, and more.

Doan joined the Maple Leafs in 2023 after a long career. He played 1540 games with the Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. The long-time captain has been slowly building his managerial portfolio, notably being Canada’s GM at the Beijing Olympics and 2022 World Championships.

Doan will likely not be the only domino to fall. However, it’s unclear where Chayka and Sundin stand on the issue of Craig Berube remaining as the Leafs’ head coach. Unless the duo has someone in mind already, it’s a safe bet that Berube will still be behind the Leafs bench to start the season.