Top five GM candidates to watch in Maple Leafs’ search

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A mix of the NHL old guard and rising stars have begun separating from the wide field coveting the Maple Leafs top hockey job.

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They’re five names that keep coming up in league chatter and who’ve been reported to have been seen by MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, via Neil Glasberg’s Coaches Agency search firm.

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The desire of all involved is to settle this hiring before the end of April, perhaps by the end of this week, rather than Pelley’s rough target of late May. That makes sense with other NHL teams trying to fill executive holes and wanting to know who’s available.

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Mike Gillis

GM of the Vancouver Canucks from 2008-14, an alternately successful and strained tenure. Gillis has not been involved with any team since. That makes his inclusion a bit mystifying, but he has kept tabs on the game, as a consultant with the players’ association’s business development interests.

By the end of his time in Vancouver, Gillis was feuding with owner Francesco Aquilini. It would be a different scenario here, trying to please both Pelley and the high fiscal expectations of uber-bosses at Rogers Communications.

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Mats Sundin being in town for a chat with Pelley for another role could be a sign in Gillis’ favour. Gillis talked Sundin into signing with Vancouver in 2009 after his Leafs career ended, though Gillis was not mentioned in Sundin’s recent book.

Ryan Martin

The GM of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and assistant GM of the New York Rangers put the ‘big’ in the Big Apple’s farm team.

An American from Connecticut, he has an economics and law degree and helped the early 2000s Detroit Red Wings as director of hockey administration. That was his ticket into minor-league development with the Wings while helping scout for Team USA’s world junior program, then did the same jobs for the Rangers.

He also has interviewed with the Nashville Predators.

John Chayka

He was on a good trajectory as the youngest GM in NHL history when the Arizona Coyotes were making noise five or so years ago. Chayka was ranked with Sunny Mehta as the most data-friendly candidates in keeping with Pelley’s preference, before Mehta signed with New Jersey.

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But the Yotes are now in Utah and Chayka’s analytics magic lost its attraction when his job irregularities, including unauthorized testing of potential draft picks, cost the team two high selections.

He also was allegedly listening to offers while still under contract to Arizona, all which forced him out, where he has stayed on the periphery.

Scott White

The Leafs just played White’s Dallas Stars last week, where he’s their director of hockey operations.

The Quebec-born former collegiate defenceman and long-time minor leaguer has been wooed before, but stayed on Jim Nill’s highly regarded staff where duties include managing the Texas Stars farm team. He’s also getting consideration in Nashville and Vancouver for its exec positions.

Evan Gold

One of the earliest candidates identified and the only Toronto-born person on this list, Gold holds law and MBA degrees from the U of T after starting at McGill.

This could be a chance for the Leafs to steal something back from Boston after some one-sided trades. Gold, the ex-summer intern of the Washington Capitals, cut his teeth there as a contract specialist and has a long history with the Bruins in their legal affairs department since 2015. He became assistant GM a few years later.

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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