The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing in two new faces to reshape the front office. On Monday, the team will introduce franchise legend Mats Sundin as senior executive adviser of hockey operations and John Chayka as general manager.
The moves come after a disastrous season that saw Toronto miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. The club had entered the year with Stanley Cup aspirations but failed to deliver.
Sundin, 55, is a Hockey Hall of Famer. The Swedish center was the first European ever taken first overall in the NHL draft. He played 13 seasons in Toronto and remains the franchise leader in points (987) and game-winning goals (79). He also scored 564 career goals, the most by any Swedish-born player.
Chayka, 36, was the youngest GM in NHL history when the Arizona Coyotes hired him at age 26. He is an analytics expert and Ivey Business School graduate. His tenure in Arizona was marked by creative, data-driven moves for a team near the salary cap floor. He resigned in 2020 and was later suspended by Commissioner Gary Bettman for pursuing other jobs while under contract.
Chayka had not held an NHL position since that suspension.