Leafs lose to Kings, new name emerges in Toronto’s GM search

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There was no Hollywood ending for the Maple Leafs in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

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After crumbling in the third period and then rallying against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena, the Leafs lost 7-6 when Quinton Byfield scored his second goal of the game at 2:33 of overtime.

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Adrian Kempe, with his second of the game, Samuel Helenius and Alex Laferriere beat goalie Joseph Woll before the third period reached the eight-minute mark to give Los Angeles a 6-4 lead.

The Leafs, no longer in playoff contention, weren’t going down that easily.

Matthew Knies’ second goal of the game at 13:29 tied the game 6-6 after Nick Robertson brought Toronto to within one at 9:37.

The result will somewhat please those in Leafs Nation who are keeping their fingers crossed the club will fall into the bottom five in the overall National Hockey League standings and retain its first-round pick. The Leafs were in 25th place at game’s end.

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After taking a 2-0 lead in the first on goals by Knies and Steven Lorentz, the Leafs gave up goals to Byfield and Kempe early in the second. John Tavares restored a one-goal Leafs lead before Artemi Panarin made it 3-3. An Easton Cowan power-play goal late in the second gave the Leafs a 4-3 lead to head into what was a wild final 20 minutes of regulation.

Three takeaways:

MEHTA WOULD FIT

A new name has emerged in the Leafs’ search for a new general manager: Sunny Mehta, the assistant general manager, head of analytics, with the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs’ probable interest in Mehta was reported by Elliotte Friedman during the second intermission on Hockey Night in Canada. Friedman also said that a union of the Leafs and St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong does not seem likely, though that could change.

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Friedman noted that the Leafs have not yet asked any teams for permission to speak to potential candidates.

Mehta’s name has been bandied about since MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said during a news conference on Tuesday that the new GM, or whatever the person’s title will be, would have to be “data-centric.” Friedman’s report gave more weight to the idea that Mehta would be a target of the Leafs as they look to replace the fired Brad Treliving.

In simple terms, data-centric would describe Mehta to a T. He got his current title with the Panthers in 2023 after spending three seasons as the team’s vice president of hockey strategy & intelligence. His expertise helped the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025.

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Mehta, as noted in his bio on the Panthers’ web site, ran the first full-time analytics department in the NHL, serving as director of hockey analytics for the New Jersey Devils from 2014-2018.

A 47-year-old native of Michigan, Mehta also has consulted for the Washington Capitals, Arizona Coyotes and six major-league baseball teams.

TAVARES NOT STOPPING

Something hockey observers come to learn about Tavares in the past several seasons: Questioning his ability to contribute and overall impact isn’t wise.

We’re sure the discussion regarding Tavares’ spot as the Leafs’ No. 2 centre will continue through the summer, but here is the 35-year-old sitting on yet another 30-goal year in the NHL with five games remaining in Toronto’s regular season.

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Tavares had three points against the Kings, including his 30th goal, marking the eighth season in his NHL career that the Oakville native has reached the milestone. And he has 68 points in 77 games.

Tavares’ power-play goal at 9:18 of the second period also tied him with Bryan Trottier for 39th in NHL history.

Tavares’ pass to Cowan for the rookie’s goal, a no-look redirect feed that few saw coming, is the kind of thing that Tavares has had at his disposal throughout his NHL career. It can’t be taught.

“An elite play,” Cowan told media in Los Angeles after the game. “You have to be ready when he’s on the ice. Great play.”

Yes, there are defensive kinks that Tavares has to work out, but there should be an improvement in that area under, in all likelihood, a new Leafs coach in 2026-27. There’s no quibbling with Tavares’ ongoing prowess in the faceoff circle.

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Tavares’ role beyond this season could very well have a different look come September. Whether it does, there are no indications his production is going to fall off a cliff.

“I’m just trying to work for my game to be what I expect it to be and try to get as much value as you can out of our finish to the season,” Tavares said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to play in the NHL. Each and every (game) is special. You just appreciate it more and more as you go. I want my game to be really strong as we head down the stretch and finish it out.”

RIDE ’EM COWBOY

One element that continues to come to the fore with Cowan is a touch of nastiness. The burr under Cowan’s saddle has grown as the season has wound down, but we’re not going to wonder where it was in earlier stages of 2025-26.

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At 20, Cowan is putting the cap on what has been a challenging rookie season (at times), though it has been one marked by growth as well. A tussle with the Kings’ Mikey Anderson — which was sparked by a reverse hit by Cowan — led to roughing minors for both and was another indication that Cowan’s comfort level and confidence has been rising.

Cowan’s goal was his 10th to go with 16 assists in 61 games.

As the Leafs look to re-tool this summer, teams undoubtedly would seek a player of Cowan’s ilk in return in a potential trade.

Our thinking is that the Leafs’ best course with Cowan would be to keep him. He’s going to be a valuable piece for the future.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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