Pridham had been with the Leafs organization since 2014, being one of Brendan Shanahan’s first hires when he became team president. Originally hired as a special assistant to the general manager for the first four years of his tenure, he was promoted to assistant general manager in 2018 by Kyle Dubas and has held on to that title for the last eight seasons. Widely regarded around the league as one of hockey’s foremost cap specialists, Pridham played a critical role in helping navigate the financial complexities as the central architect behind the club’s salary cap strategy.
He was the interim-general manager alongside Ryan Hardy after the firing of Brad Treliving, and was under consideration to take on the role full-time before John Chayka was hired.
Clancey was hired in 2023 after the arrival of Treliving as assistant general manager of player personnel. He was the head of their pro-scouting department, helping identify talent and providing detailed scouting reports on potential targets. Before joining the Leafs, he did pro-scouting work with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames, as well as being the assistant general manager for the Vancouver Canucks.
“Brandon has played an integral role in the organization over the past 12 seasons. We are sincerely appreciative of Brandon’s professionalism, commitment and dedication to the Maple Leafs throughout his tenure,” Chayka said in a release from the Leafs. “Derek also brought valuable experience and insight to our hockey operations department during his time with the club. We thank both Brandon and Derek for their contributions to the organization and wish them and their families all the very best moving forward.”
With a new-look front office, a new-look coaching staff, and a new marquee player being added with the first overall pick, the Leafs are going to look vastly different by the time the next campaign kicks off. Pridham and Clancey’s departure from the organization signals that more changes are coming in the weeks and months ahead.