David Alter sees Mike Gillis as the most likely fit emerging in the Leafs’ front office search: Leafs Morning Take
Sunny Mehta will not be taking his talents to Toronto.
Instead, the now former Florida Panthers AGM is headed back to New Jersey to be the general manager of the Devils. Since firing Tom Fitzgerald 11 days ago, it really felt like the Devils were very focused on Mehta, and ultimately, they got their guy.
Meantime, the GM search continues for the Maple Leafs. Apparently, it doesn’t stop there either. Early Friday morning, reports surfaced that the team is meeting with former captain Mats Sundin to discuss a potential prominent role within the new management structure.
The city’s buzzing, there’s no doubt about it. That’s where the conversation started on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take as Jay Rosehill returned to the mix. For what it’s worth, it sounds like the Leafs have been moving swiftly behind the scenes on potential candidates and could announce a hire as early as next week. For now, we wait with bated breath.
Meantime, Rosie weighed in on some of the key moments from locker cleanout day. As expected, he didn’t hold back—particularly when it came to William Nylander. His end-of-season scrum lasted just 92 seconds, which Rosie called embarrassing, while also questioning Nylander’s professionalism, accountability, and overall level of care. For the record, Rosie wasn’t very critical of Matthews’ scrum. In fact, he thought Toronto’s captain handled it very well. He wasn’t surprised by anything he said. It was blown out of proportion. Furthermore, he gave his quick thoughts on what Anthony Stolarz had to say, among others, too.
After that, David Alter of The Hockey News stopped by to break down a pivotal moment for the Maple Leafs, sharing insights from locker cleanout day and Auston Matthews’ comments on his season and future. He also touched on front office developments—including Sunny Mehta, Mike Gillis, and the potential return of Mats Sundin—while weighing in on Craig Berube’s status, John Chayka’s link to the team, and the growing conversation around culture and AI in today’s game.
Have a great weekend! Coming up on Monday, we’ll sift through the latest in Leafs land plus give our thoughts on the first few games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Also, Leafs reporter for TSN, Mark Masters, will drop by for another visit.