John Chayka says Maple Leafs will need a high hit rate to contend for Stanley Cup
He and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin were introduced to the media alongside MLSE CEO Keith Pelley on Monday, and the trio fielded several questions amidst an unprecedented and contentious hire. Chief among them was what it would take for the Leafs to regroup after failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and finishing fifth last in the NHL.
Chayka told reporters that while he is aware of the challenges ahead for him and Sundin, it is incumbent on him to put the best team together to give the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander the best chance of success.
“ The way I would think about it is there’s a gap right now between where we are and where we’d like to be. I think it’s upon us to go and collect information and understand that better,” he said. “ I think the optimistic, hopeful side is I really do believe that this team has a lot of latent upside. A lot of the players underperformed. There’s lots of opportunity to get in there and find ways to do a better job with the internal group. Having said that, I think it’s a reality that we’re gonna have to make some changes and we’re gonna have to fill some holes and there’s some fundamental ways in which we’re gonna have to change the team.”
One of the concerns that fans had with the appointment of Chayka was the fact that he had been away from the NHL for over five years and may not understand the intricacies of where the game has since moved. He ensured that he had not been off the grid during that time and has stayed up to date on the integration of data into the decision-making process.
Chayka also owned up to the mistakes he made during his tumultuous tenure with the Arizona Coyotes, referring to his first experience as an NHL GM as both ‘complicated’ and one of the hardest things he had ever did to endure in his life.
“ As I move forward, it really teaches me the value of stability,” he said about what he learned during his time in Arizona. “ To no one’s fault, there was just a lot of work being done to try to find a new arena, find new ownership, et cetera. As those things happen, there’s a lot that gets missed. The value of stability, the value of alignment I think, are two key tenets that I take from that.”
At the very least, Chayka has the support of Pelley, who said he was impressed by the new GM’s vision for the team and by the fact that he is both methodical and measured. The MLSE CEO admitted that the board jumped on the opportunity to bring in Chayka and Sundin while doing what he described as a thorough due diligence with the support of Neil Glasberg’s search firm.
Despite the public support from the leadership at MLSE, Chayka knows that the only thing that matters to people on the outside is the actions he takes in getting the Leafs towards contending for the Stanley Cup and the ultimate results.
“ Nothing I say here today earns credibility in this market. 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.”
No matter what happens with that and the draft lottery on Tuesday, Chayka knows there is a lot of work that needs to be done for him and Sundin this offseason.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us to put the best team on the ice that we can,” he said. “It’s gonna take a high hit rate. It’s gonna have to take some creativity. We’re gonna have to have some things go away, but we certainly feel like we’re well-positioned with a core group. We have some players that are some of the best players in the world that wear this sweater. It’s upon Mats and myself to put in place the structure and the principles and give them the resources to go out and accomplish their goals.”
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