When you talk to winners of a big lottery jackpot, they’ll tell you that it changes everything in their lives. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it wasn’t going to change their profitability or stability as a franchise. But boy, did it ever change the sentiment around the hockey club. David Alter delves into another busy week in Toronto.
Earlier in the week, the Maple Leafs unveiled their new management structure. They introduced legendary captain Mats Sundin as the Senior Executive Advisor to Hockey Operations and John Chayka as their new general manager.
The vibe around Real Sports Bar & Grill, the site of the news conference, didn’t feel celebratory as it had in the past. It was awkward. There weren’t a lot of answers from MLSE CEO Keith Pelley as to why this current management structure was best, nor how they arrived at the decision. Questions regarding the addition of Chayka—who had been disciplined by the NHL for a year while GM of the Arizona Coyotes—went largely unanswered, aside from the brief admission that he had made mistakes.
Then came the report that Auston Matthews wasn’t sure he would be back next season, despite having two more years remaining on his contract with Toronto. For Leafs fans, the mood was dire.
No.1 Draft Pick
That was until later in the day, when the Maple Leafs shifted from the likely scenario of losing their first-round pick in 2026 to actually winning the lottery and securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Suddenly, there is optimism about what projected top pick Gavin McKenna could do for the team in the short term. Is he the skilled winger needed to get Auston Matthews back on track? Or do the Leafs use this opportunity to turn a No. 1 overall pick into help in several areas, perhaps looking to grab a blue-chip, top-pair defenseman?
The doom-and-gloom that surrounded the team seemingly vanished in the span of 24 hours. But here’s what is most exciting for the Leafs: if they do pick McKenna and he’s NHL-ready for next season, they would have three years of his talent on a very cap-controlled rookie entry-level contract. That would allow them to use the remaining cap space to look for other players who could help.
If we learned anything from Chayka about what he is looking for in his newly inherited team, it’s that they want to make the defense move the puck faster. There is certainly going to be an emphasis on speed and perhaps youth. Former Leafs GM Brad Treliving preferred big defensemen, and perhaps that lack of speed pulled the team away from its previous successes.
Morgan Rielly
But this raises the question: what happens with Morgan Rielly? Is Chayka going to convince the longest-tenured defenseman to look at opportunities elsewhere? The Leafs have 20 players already committed in their salary cap situation, so there’s going to be a need for some “moving and shaking” between now and then.
Then there is the matter of Chayka’s relationship with other GMs. There has been significant talk about who Chayka knows in the league and how well he has been able to keep an eye on things since being out of the NHL for the last six years. Is Mats Sundin supposed to help him navigate those waters? Perhaps. But when it comes to negotiating deals, it sounds like Chayka is going to have a lot of work to do in smoothing things over with other GMs if he’s going to pull off a major trade.
I doubt this will be a major roadblock, however. People thought someone like Kyle Dubas would have issues given his exit from Toronto—albeit a less controversial one—and he’s managed to run the Pittsburgh Penguins organization just fine. There is finally a lot to be excited about. Now it’s up to the Leafs’ current management to make that good feeling last.