Mike Futa was in final 3 of Leafs GM search alongside Chayka & White: Leafs Morning Take

It appears the Leafs are close to announcing their new management group.

Suffice it to say, we covered a lot on the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We kicked things off with the growing Sundin–Chayka buzz, before diving into our reporting that Sportsnet NHL analyst Mike Futa—a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings—emerged as a late finalist in the process alongside John Chayka and Scott White. From there, we broke down the key relationships at play, how the search has come together behind the scenes, and just how close this process may be to reaching the finish line.

Meantime, Andy Strickland stopped by for a wide-ranging conversation on the latest developments. The discussion centered around the growing buzz of a potential Sundin–Chayka front office partnership, with Strickland weighing in on how realistic that vision is and addressing concerns about Mats Sundin stepping into a high-level executive role without prior experience. The conversation then shifted to Doug Armstrong, where Strickland provided clarity on whether the Leafs ever showed interest, what Armstrong’s future looks like in St. Louis, and why the timing doesn’t appear to align for a move to Toronto. He also emphasized Armstrong’s status as a definitive “head of hockey operations” who would not operate within a shared leadership structure. To wrap, Strickland offered insight into Craig Berube’s future with the Maple Leafs, noting there is a growing sense the organization could ultimately decide to make a significant change behind the bench.

Lastly, Craig Morgan, who covered John Chayka during his time in Arizona, joined Nick Alberga and David Pagnotta to unpack Chayka’s resurfacing in the Toronto Maple Leafs GM search. Morgan said he was surprised to see Chayka back in the mix, noting he once believed the former Coyotes GM may have been effectively “blackballed” after his exit from Arizona. He also broke down the challenges Chayka faced with ownership and the environment he was working in at the time. The conversation also touched on the potential Chayka–Mats Sundin connection in Toronto, as well as what a move from Arizona’s market to the spotlight of Toronto would look like for him.

Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll break down the latest on the GM front, plus Mike Rupp will drop by the show once again.