Bryan Hayes believes Mats Sundin is prepared for the craziness that the Toronto market brings
Chayka will be the team’s general manager, while Sundin is set to hold the title of senior executive advisor, returning to the organization where he spent 13 years.
On Tuesday, following Keith Pelley’s press conference to announce the hiring, TSN’s Bryan Hayes joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to discuss how he felt Sundin looked at the press conference, the change in relationship Sundin is set to have with many Maple Leafs players he’s gotten to know over the past few years, and how he thinks Pelley landed on Chayka.
“I love that he had no script. Mats was just like I’m going to sit here and talk because he’s been through the wringer. It was very obvious that Sundin knows what Toronto is all about. He obviously was a player and captain here for a long time,” Hayes said. “He’s dealt with everything, including a very difficult introduction to the market. We all remember who he got traded for. When he got traded for Wendel [Clark] in 94, I mean Twitter wasn’t a thing, but the reaction online would have been crazy because of what happened in 93 and 94 and how beloved Wendel was. When Mats got here, it was like, who is this guy? What is he doing here? Why is he here? Why did we have to trade Wendel? He fought through that storm, and he made the most of it. So, I get the impression Sundin is prepared for the craziness of this market, and the craziness of yesterday’s press conference.”
“I’m skeptical, but that’s certainly the hope and plan. Listen, he knows what it’s like to be in that room, but he doesn’t know this room. He’s got experience from his own rooms in the 90s and 2000s, but it’s a very different world. It’s a very different era, and reality is with his title and role that he’s in, he’s no longer Mats Sundin, the former player and captain,” Hayes said. “Now he’s in management, and he’s looked at differently. There’s a difference between a foxhole guy and a non-foxhole guy. Sundin’s not stupid; he knows he has a role in trying to move this team in the right direction. I am more curious to see how upfront the players are going to be with him because he’s technically one of their bosses. Auston has already caught one of his biggest records, so he’s probably saying I’m as much as you are when it comes to being a player. I’m curious to see how that relationship is going to work, and how much honesty you are going to get.”
As for Chayka, many have questioned Pelley’s process on how he landed on his new GM. The hockey world knows Chayka’s path, and the now 36-year-old doesn’t have one of the best reputations in the game. Hayes touched on why he believes there was a fit between Chayka and the MLSE CEO, Pelley.
“Obviously, he’s a guy that can sell himself and sell his vision. Pelley indicated that. Pelley said he was impressed with the vision Chayka laid out, and then never really explained what the vision was,” Hayes said. “Obviously, he has a background in the game, and he’s a business guy. I would guess for a President and CEO of a major corporation, that would be very appealing. He’s not your conventional hockey guy, obviously, he’s got a business background, but I can’t imagine he’s making a ton of money. There’s no chance he was making what Brendan Shanahan was making, and it’s always about business. We can’t be naive to all of this, the reality is, it’s owned by a corporation in Rogers.”
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