Maple Leafs formally announce Mats Sundin as senior executive advisor, John Chayka as new GM
We have named John Chayka the General Manager and Mats Sundin as Senior Executive Advisor, Hockey Operations
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The announcement concludes a chaotic couple of weeks that featured what seemed like an endless list of names for potential candidates to join the front office. Sundin had been linked to the Maple Leafs for a couple of weeks prior to his hiring, with Chayka’s name popping up shortly after.
Chayka had previously served as general manager of the Arizona Coyotes from 2016 until 2021, in which he became the youngest general manager in NHL history at the age of 26. Chayka’s carries a little bit of controversy with his name, having forfeited a first-round pick in 2021 for conducting physical testing on prospects eligible for the draft in 2019-20 and then getting suspended by the NHL for quitting his job in the middle of his contract due to a ‘situation created by ownership’.
Sundin, on the other hand, has never held a managerial position before, but he is undoubtedly one of the most respected figures in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ circle and somebody that the team could be looking to help reshape the culture and restore what it means to be a Leaf. While the duties of his role haven’t been disclosed at the time of filing, it’s possible that could be expanded on when Sundin and Chayka meet with the media.
Friedman noted in the report that Sundin and Chayka have known each other since the 2012 Memorial Cup, and also disputed reports that fellow Leafs alumni Tie Domi will be joining the organization.
MLSE CEO Keith Pelley stated following the firing of Brad Treliving that his next hire would be the biggest decision of his career, and with the draft lottery taking place tomorrow, conversations between Sundin and Chayka about how to right the ship forward will be taking place starting with the verdict on the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick in 2026.
It’s clear that there’s some risk in hiring both of these candidates, for different reasons, but it’s an outside-the-box approach compared to their last front office hiring in Treliving, and a gamble that Pelley and the Maple Leafs are comfortable taking.
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