James Mirtle doubts Leafs will have GM hired before NHL Draft Lottery: Leafs Morning Take
In one fell swoop, two perennial Cup contenders are gone.
A seismic night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs saw Edmonton and Dallas both eliminated, while Anaheim and Minnesota advanced to Round 2.
That’s where the conversation started on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. What now for Connor McDavid and the Oilers? We joked about our McCountdown tracker coming back. In fact, it made a special appearance —thanks to Producer Vick. There are 793 days between now and July 1, 2028, the day McDavid will become a free agent. At any rate, we broke everything down, discussing some of the major storylines attached to the winning and losing. At last, Montreal’s Canada’s last hope this season at ending the Cup drought. Neither of us want to see them do it, though.
Meantime, we discussed the latest on the Leafs’ GM search. Not much has changed, outside of Elliotte Friedman’s bombshell report suggesting the Leafs asked Tampa for permission to speak with Julien BriseBois, but were denied. We dove headfirst into that and whether it changes our view of the overall process. At this point, things still appear to be trending toward a Mats Sundin–John Chayka combo at the top. We also got into the Tie Domi angle, including the potential conflict of interest with his son already being on the team.
After that, The Athletic’s James Mirtle stopped by for a wide-ranging breakdown of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing GM search. Mirtle confirms Toronto did request permission from Tampa Bay to speak with Julien BriseBois, but were denied, and provides insight into where things stand with the organization’s focus shifting toward John Chayka. He also unpacks the unusual lack of clarity around the timeline, suggesting a decision could drag into mid-May, while expressing surprise if a hire is made before the draft lottery. Elsewhere, Mirtle weighs in on remaining candidates including Scott White and Mike Gillis, addresses the Tie Domi conversation involving Tie Domi and Max Domi, and reacts to questions about former-player executives like Mats Sundin lacking front-office experience. The discussion also touches on the future of head coach Craig Berube and what could come next depending on the direction of the front office.
Next week’s a big one with the NHL Draft Lottery taking centre stage on Tuesday night. Talk Monday!