The Toronto Maple Leafs will hold a press conference on Monday afternoon, as former Leaf and Hall of Famer Mats Sundin and former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka will be introduced as the heads of the Leafs new management team. Chayka, in a press release from the club, was named as General Manager and Sundin as Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations.
“I’m thrilled to welcome John and Mats to their roles, two great hockey minds that will strengthen our entire hockey club.” MLSE boss Keith Pelley said. “From the start of this process, it’s been about building a championship-calibre team for our fans and our city, and today is an important step towards that goal.”
After the last few weeks of trying to ascertain how involved and how much say Sundin would have, the Leafs indicated that he will serve “as a strategic advisor and provide support across hockey operations, with a focus on team culture, player development and leadership support. That indicates something more than a quasi-ceremonial ambassador like Darryl Sittler or Wendel Clark has done for years, but something significantly less than the piloting of the ship that former Team President Brendan Shanahan had the power to do for 11 years.
“This fan base deserves greatness, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help this team, organization and city achieve that,” Sundin said in a press release. “My love for the Maple Leafs and the City of Toronto is an important part of who I am and who I will always be. I look forward to working closely with John as we both recognize the incredible opportunity and responsibility to win here in Toronto.”
Chayka’s record is checkered to say the least, from running afoul of the league for talking to other clubs about job opportunities while still in the employ of the Arizona Coyotes to running his own testing of players outside of the confines of the NHL combine to a mixed record on draft picks and trades over four seasons in the desert.. The impression conveyed by many insiders and others in the hockey world is that the 36-year-old wunderkind is not well-liked in hockey circles and amongst his managerial colleagues.
You could say that is unimportant, because former GM Brad Treliving was well-liked and respected throughout the league (except in Calgary), but ended up being a terrible general manager who may have set back the Leafs years with the moves he made over three seasons. In the end, the Leafs success under Chayka will depend on the staff that he hires and how he uses the financial resources of the richest franchise in the NHL to rebound from the worst season in a decade.
Pelley’s reputation may have been irreparably damaged by his clown show presser and the way the process for finding a new GM evolved. Other than the report of asking for permission to speak to Tampa GM Julien Brisebois, there is no evidence that Pelley went big game hunting for the best GM he could find. There is no evidence that he decided on the best candidate available, like Dallas Asst. GM Scott White. In the end, he chose the guy who fit the “data-centric” description he put out there.
First impressions are what counts many times, and what Sundin and Chayka say in their press conference Monday afternoon will say a lot. If the first thing announced is the firing of head coach Craig Berube with two years remaining on his contract, that would show that this management group has the power to make decisions that go against the financial considerations of Rogers, but if Berube remains, then that speaks to Pelley making his remaining as Leafs coach just as much of a prerequisite as the preferred direction of retooling instead of rebuilding.
Berube should not be retained, and Toronto needs to pivot to a bench boss more in tune with his club and their strengths and weaknesses, not catering to his limitations and close-mindedness of how a team needs to play.
The Toronto Marlies took the lead in their best-of-five series with the Laval Rocket with a 6-2 victory at Cola-Cola Coliseum on Sunday. The Marlies scored four first-period goals and chased Rocket goalie Kappo Kahkonen. Logan Shaw, Easton Cowan, Henry Thrun, Ryan Tverberg, Alex Nylander, and Cedric Pare scored for Toronto, and Artur Akhtyamov made 26 saves for his third post-season victory.
Toronto can advance to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs with a win on Tuesday.
