The Toronto Maple Leafs held a news conference on Monday afternoon to introduce the newest members of the team’s front office.
Toronto announced over the weekend that they have hired John Chayka as their next general manager and former Leafs great Mats Sundin as a senior executive advisor of hockey operations.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley hosted Monday’s news conference.
Here’s what was said:
Chayka and Sundin want to ‘listen and learn’ from coach Berube
Chayka said he and Sundin plan to speak with head coach Craig Berube later this week to go over the vision for the team, adding that they are eager to get his point of view from the ice.
“He spent a full year and past few years with the team. So we want to listen and learn, and, you know, understand his perspective, and then, you know, go forward from there,” he said.
Sundin not worried about ‘risk’ associated with joining Leafs
Sundin was asked if he considered the “risk” of signing with a team that has struggled in the post-season.
“I don’t worry about the risk to start with. I think I have knowledge and experience from being a player here, being the captain here, during an era, too, where a couple of times we went to the conference finals...as I said before, I think great organizations also learn from earlier generations on, what’s been done well, and maybe mistakes that you don’t want to repeat,” he said.
Why aren’t the Leafs hiring a president?
The Leafs have been, and will continue to be, without a president for the foreseeable future after Brendan Shanahan was fired in 2025 and not replaced.
“We had no preconceived notions on what structure that we were going to actually move towards. But once we got into the process, we realized, and as we got deeper into it, that this mix with John and Mats was one that was going to be formidable and there’s no specific reason for it. It was just, this is the structure. It’s a different structure, but I think it’ll be a winning structure,“ Pelley said.
Former GM Brad Treliving was relieved of his duties earlier this year after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
New hierarchal structure unclear
Pelley was asked about who reports to who following the arrival of Chayka and Sundin, and revealed that neither asked about their titles prior to signing their contracts.
“The role of CEO is to put the structure and process and experts in place and then empower them to make the decisions. At the time of the interviews, it was really fascinating. Neither John or Mats, at any time, talked about titles. They only talked about goals, and that’s the winning the Stanley Cup,” he said.
Pelley says MLSE conducted ‘deep due diligence’ prior to Chayka hiring
Pelley was asked if he had any reservations about Chayka’s previous NHL experience, which included a suspension from the league following a reported contract dispute.
“We’ve conducted due diligence, and it was deep due diligence. It was a thorough process, and I’m quite happy with where we’ve landed,” he said.
Sundin ‘extremely proud and excited’ to start new role
Sundin, the franchise’s former captain and all-time points leader, returns after 13 seasons with the team and said he’s “extremely proud and excited” to get to work.
“I‘m very emotionally connected to the team, to the city. It’s been my home for 13 years, 11 years as a captain. And I’ve known John for a long time, and I think we have the same vision of what a winning team looks like,” he said.
Weight of Leafs GM role not lost on Chayka
In his opening remarks, Chayka said he understands “precisely” how much this team means to the people of Toronto.
“This is your team. I share your passion for hockey, for this team and for its history. That said, I’m not here to romanticize this opportunity. I’m here to build something that delivers. There’s no avoiding the realities of the challenges ahead,” he said.
Chayka, 36, was previously the NHL’s youngest GM with the Arizona Coyotes and is known for an analytics-driven approach.
‘Not good enough’: Pelley on Leafs’ last conference finals appearance
Pelley opened up Monday’s news conference by pointing out that the Leafs have not gone to the Stanley Cup Conference Finals since 2002.
“That’s 24 years, and it’s 24 long years, and quite honestly, that’s not good enough,” he said, alongside Chayka and Sundin.
