Pelley stated that the Maple Leafs spoke to 27 people during the search process, thanking Neil Glasberg for his assistance with the hirings. Before turning the microphones over to Sundin and Chayka, Pelley thanked the former Maple Leafs captain for relocating his family to Toronto and taking on the new job.
“We were incredibly impressed and encouraged by John’s vision that he shared with us during the process,” Pelley said Monday. “We then conducted extensive due diligence that confirmed what we already believed about John’s capabilities. We are incredibly confident in where we landed. I remain impressed by John. I think you will as well. One of the key characteristics that came through in the entire process: He is methodical and measured. The combination of John and Mats is really, really strong.”
There is plenty of excitement, anticipation and trepidation surrounding the Sundin-Chayka combination, with the Maple Leafs in a clear period of transition. Auston Matthews and William Nylander remain at the forefront, and Chayka will be tasked with making significant upgrades to a team that slumped to the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
Mats Sundin and John Chayka are formally introduced as the Maple Leafs’ new management group. Scrums to follow shortly. @TLNdc @DailyFaceoff
Here are five takeaways from Sundin and Chayka’s introductory press conference
Craig Berube’s status is under evaluation from John Chayka, Mats Sundin
“I talked to Craig last night. He is a guy who has been a respected leader for decades in the National Hockey League,” Chayka said of Berube. “I think he is a tremendous coach, a Stanley Cup coach, and a good person. We had a good conversation. It was brief. We will get together later this week with Mats and go through it all. Mats and I are coming in as outsiders. He spent the past few years with the team. We want to listen, learn, understand his perspective, and go forward from there.”
Chayka also said he’ll meet with players, prior to the draft and free agency, reiterating his support for Berube once again.
“We are going to get together with Coach Berube. We’re going to have a very detailed plan. We are trying to catch a moving train here. We have scouting meetings coming up in the next two weeks — amateur and pro — and we have the combine, followed by the draft and free agency.”
Chayka and Sundin are empowered to lead a new era of Maple Leafs hockey. They’re leaving the door open for a head coach who performed dismally, but perhaps further moves will be made following their impending meeting.
In a scrum with reporters Leafs GM John Chayka says he’s open to retaining Craig Berube as head coach. Chayka says it’s hard to find really good coaches, despite the Leafs’ poor on-ice performance this year. @TLNdc
Mats Sundin’s role further clarified
Sundin was officially hired as senior executive advisor to hockey operations, a somewhat nebulous title that required some further clarification. It appears that Sundin will operate as Chayka’s right-hand man, while the 36-year-old will directly report to Pelley on day-to-day operational matters. Sundin spoke at length about his decision to return to Toronto, stating that he’s been spoken to Pelley for the past 18 months, and it became apparent to him he could make a major impact at the managerial level.
“I think I have knowledge and experience from being a player and the captain here during an era, too, where we went to the Conference Finals a couple of times,” Sundin said. “I was lucky to play with guys like Doug Gilmour, Wendel, and Darcy when I broke in. As I’ve said before, I think great organizations also learn from earlier generations on what has been done well and mistakes you don’t want to repeat. With that experience, I hope to contribute at all of the levels in terms of players, coaches, the people in the dressing room, and also with management.”
Sundin said he’s kept up with the game, and will be able to deliver his insights to Chayka about where the game is heading.
“I think the whole game, it’s evolving even faster now. You look at Anaheim-Edmonton, basically Edmonton had a tough time keeping up with the young guys. So it’s a fast game, and you need, if there’s one thing that’s important in today’s hockey, it’s skating, right? Whether you’re a defenceman or forward and watching the Minnesota-Colorado game last night, it’s a high pace and same goes for the defence.”
Sundin and Chayka will now be tasked with improving a Maple Leafs team that was simply too slow to compete with their opponents in 2025-26.
Keith Pelley addresses the media from a place of defensive posturing
“There have been countless erroneous reports and inaccurate information over the past six weeks,” Pelley said. “We just didn’t want to comment on them, but it includes some that I was using AI during the trade deadline, and Neil is John’s agent. Proposterous, all of it. Tie (Domi) wasn’t involved in the process whatsoever. It is another erroneous rumour.”
“We’ve conducted due diligence, and it was deep due diligence. It was a thorough process, and I am quite happy with where we’ve landed,” Pelley said.
There wasn’t a way to satisfy all parts of an expensive media corps, but Chayka was considered to be a controversial selection, even by those who are analytically-minded. Pelley did little to disavow fans and media members of the notion that he’s ill-suited to preside over the crown jewel of the NHL. From here onwards, expect Sundin and Chayka to operate as the faces of the managerial regime.
Chayka wants to upgrade defence corps immediately, address concerns about past reputation
“We have a lot of capable defenders that bring a lot to the team, and a lot of good veteran presences. But as I certainly look at that mix, adding to the defence core is a priority. And now I don’t have a crystal ball. We’ll see what the options are when they become available. But we intend on being aggressive there.”
What that aggression looks like remains to be seen, but it could invite the possibility of approach Morgan Rielly about a trade. Rielly previously said he hasn’t thought about a potential deal, as those discussions haven’t begun.
Chayka also spoke about his previous reputation earned during his tenure as general manager of the Arizona Coyotes. He was suspended by the NHL in 2021 for conduct detrimental to the league, but was eventually reinstated.
“ Nothing I say here today earns credibility in this market,” Chayka said. “That will come from how we operate, the decisions we make, the consistency of our approach and ultimately the results we achieve on the ice,” he said. “ What we’re building here must be more than a great roster. It must be an organization that is aligned, integrated, and accountable. Every function from hockey ops, scouting, development, performance, medical analytics, and technology must work towards a single objective.”
Meeting with Auston Matthews will be a top priority
There’s plenty of discussion about whether the Maple Leafs will undergo a re-tooling or a full-scale rebuild. Although the Maple Leafs will have to consider all options, meeting with Auston Matthews and clarifying their vision to the captain is a top priority for both Chayka and Sundin.
“He is one of the top goal-scorers of the last decade, if not the top goal scorer,” Chayka said of Matthews. “He is a 200-foot centerman. He plays the game the right way. I just came from an organization where we spent our entire existence looking for that exact player. We are incredibly fortunate to have Auston. It is our job to sell him on what we are capable of in terms of reaching the ultimate goal. I know that is what is most important to him.”
“I think Auston is the best goal-scorer in the league the last 10 years,” Sundin said of Matthews during his scrum. “He’s a superstar in his own right. Won the Olympic gold. I think he’s a great leader and he’s captained the USA to the gold. So I think the Toronto Maple Leafs and the fan base, I think it’s very fortunate to have a player of that caliber.”