The Toronto Maple Leafs have not moved forward with their management choices, but the consensus is that the club is headed in the direction of hiring former Leaf Mats Sundin and former Arizona GM John Chayka. There are still questions about what Sundin’s role, title, and involvement will be. The process that has been used by MLSE boss Keith Pelley has been scrutinized, based in part on the involvement of former Leaf Tie Domi as a facilitator, but there have been rumors of potential additions that would be less controversial and potentially positive and impactful.
Chakya’s history with Arizona as a talent evaluator and trader is not exactly littered with positives, but a mitigating factor could be a complete lack of resources available because of the Coyotes being a trade wreck of an organization. On the Daily Faceoff Live podcast on Thursday, the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta indicated that former Los Angeles Kings AGM and current FAN 590 radio co-host Mike Futa, who was a finalist in the Leafs GM hunt, might be open to another position in the Toronto organization.
Futa served as GM of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack for five seasons before moving up and serving as the co-Director of Amateur scouting for the Kings for a decade (2007 – 2017), and three years as an Assistant GM (2018 – 2020), which coincides with the years that L.A. built the core group of the club that won two Stanley Cups.
Pagnotta also indicated that another potential target could be the current Kings Director of Amateur Scouting, Mark Yannetti, whose contract could be up at the end of this season. The 54-year-old Massachusetts native began as a pro scout with the Leafs in 2000 and left for the West Coast in 2006. This combo is well respected in the scouting community and would be a major coup if the Leafs could bring them into the fold.
There continue to be questions about what the new management will do with the current staff, especially those hired by former GM Brad Treliving. Special Assistant to the GM Shane Doan has already interviewed for a management job with the Vancouver Canucks, and is not expected to return to the Leafs. The same may go with Derek Clancey, who joined as an AGM in 2023. Current interim co-GM Brandon Pridham is expected to be safe, but the status of Ryan Hardy, Darryl Metcalf, and Hayley Wickenheiser is uncertain.
What the changes in management will mean for others like Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Leach, who is entering his third year with the Leafs, is also up in the air. Leach is also well respected in scouting circles, but any new GM is going to want to bring in their people and that could mean some good people will lose their jobs.
The Toronto Marlies drew even with the Laval Rocket with a 6-2 victory in Laval on Friday. The Marlies fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but Logan Shaw got Toronto in the board before the end of the first, starting a string of six unanswered Marlies goals.
Vinni Lettieri, Luke Haymes, Easton Cowan, Cedric Pare, and Noah Chadwick scored for the Marlies. William Villeneuve had three assists, Cowan had three points, and Artur Akhtyamov made 29 saves in the win. The series shifts to Coca-Cola Coliseum for Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Tuesday.
