What to know
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have named John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as senior executive adviser in a major leadership shakeup by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
- Chayka, former GM of the Arizona Coyotes, brings experience but also controversy after resigning in 2020 and later being suspended by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
- He replaced Brad Treliving following a disappointing season where the Leafs missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- Fan reaction has been mixed, with criticism of Chayka’s track record alongside cautious optimism that he and Sundin can help rebuild the team’s culture and performance.
The Toronto Maple Leafs now have a new general manager to lead the pack.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) made the announcement on Sunday, introducing John Chayka as the new GM and Mats Sundin as the new senior executive adviser of hockey operations.
Chayka joins with previous experience in leading a hockey team, previously acting as GM and president for the now inactive National Hockey League (NHL) team, the Arizona Coyotes. Chayka held the role for four years before quitting in 2020. Chayka was then also suspended by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for one year in 2021 due to looking for jobs with other teams in the league, while still working for the Arizona Coyotes.
“I’m honoured to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and excited to work alongside Mats and the entire organization,” Chayka stated to MLSE. “…I’m focused on building a team that is competitive, driven and relentless – one that is in the best position to win for our fans and for the City of Toronto.”
Chayka will be filling big shoes, replacing former Leafs GM and fellow Arizona Coyotes colleague Brad Treliving, who was fired on March 30.
Treliving was vice president of hockey operations and assistant GM of the Arizona Coyotes from 2003–2014, leaving just a year before Chayka joined in 2015 as the assistant general manager of analytics.
MLSE CEO Keith Pelley previously stated Treliving wasn’t the right fit for the Leafs.
“We have all the resources to be successful but without the right structure, the right processes in place, without the right culture, without the alignment and accountability among everyone inside the operation, we will not be successful. That change starts today,” Pelley stated to the NHL.
Chayka will join alongside Sundin, who brings an arsenal of accolades, as he makes a return to the team.
Sundin originally played for the Quebec Nordiques, marking history by being the first European-born player to be selected as the number one draft pick in 1989. He then played for the Leafs, when he was traded in 1994, becoming the team’s first European-born team captain. As he played for 10 seasons, his 987 total points are a Leafs record. He was also famously passed for most goals by current Leafs player Auston Matthews just this past pre-season.
Both Sundin and Chayka will begin immediately, with hopes to clean up and restructure following Treliving’s time with the team.
The Leafs lost the last seven games they played this season and didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Online Reaction
As Chayka takes his spot as GM, Leafs fans have been up-in-arms about the pick, with some saying he was not the right choice.
Some fans said Chayka had an unimpressive resume, and even noted the Arizona Coyotes team run was a “disaster.”
“He has a very shitty reputation around the league. Reputations and relationships are key to being a good GM,” one Reddit user said, noting when he quit the Coyotes, it was due to bad relations with management.
The same Reddit user continued on to say they didn’t care about the results Chayka received.
“I don’t care that he didn’t get good results in AZ because he had limited resources. I care because the GM of the Maple Leafs is the most sought after job in hockey,” they explained. “I remember a time when anyone in hockey would have fought for it. Now it seems like under Pelley it’s not. That’s sad. So we’re left with someone who has legitimate character issues and a sh-tty reputation.”
Another Reddit user listed the reasons they thought Chayka wasn’t right for the job.
“He didn’t have a great record on draft. He didn’t have a great record on trades. The team wasn’t that successful under him. He has been unemployed for years after being fired for being a weasel,” they explained. “At this critical juncture of the franchise I’m not sure how he’s the best option.”
“The man is not respected or liked in hockey circles,” another Reddit user stated. “If you do your job well and conduct yourself in a respectful manner in any profession, people will follow you.”
Fans on other social media platforms also weighed in.
“Youngest GM in league history at 26. Ran Arizona into the ground. Now Toronto hands him the keys,” one X (formerly Twitter) user said.
“Great hire, look forward to them continuing to be awful,” another X user said.
Although, not all fans were upset.
“I for one am optimistic,” one X user said. “Let’s get Sundin in here with some other people that bleed blue and white to turn this ship around. Let’s gooo.”
“Good luck John. Us Leafs fans are brutal,” another X user said.
One Reddit user said they were giving Chayka the benefit of the doubt.
“For all my reservations and disappointment with the hire, I do think the one thing to cling on to is the hope that he truly has learned from some of his mistakes,” they said. “There have been GMs worse than him during his tenure in Arizona – but he was 26 when he was hired and I do think that matters when you look at his body of work.”
