The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally formed a new front office.
John Chayka will be the general manager and Mats Sundin will be senior executive adviser of hockey operations, the team announced Sunday, in a radical overhaul of a franchise that missed the playoffs in spectacular fashion this season. Chayka will report to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley.
The team is set to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. ET on Monday.
The decision ends a process that began at the end of March when Brad Treliving was dismissed as general manager.
Pelley said previously that the hiring would be his most important move as president and CEO of MLSE, which operates the Leafs as well as the NBA’s Raptors and Major League Soccer’s TFC.
“I’m thrilled to welcome John and Mats to their roles, two great hockey minds that will strengthen our entire hockey club,” Pelley said in Sunday’s announcement. “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.”
Chayka has not been in the NHL since he was suspended by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in 2021 for conduct detrimental to the league. Chayka had quit as the Coyotes’ president of hockey operations and GM shortly before the restart of the 2019-20 season.
Bettman said Chayka “breached his obligation to the club” by reportedly pursuing a job opportunity with the New Jersey Devils while he was still employed by the Arizona Coyotes.
Soon after his exit, the NHL forced the Coyotes to forfeit draft picks — their second-round pick in 2020 and a first-round pick in 2021 — for violating the league’s draft combine testing policy while Chayka was in charge.
Hired in 2016 as the youngest GM in pro sports history at age 26, Chayka ran the Coyotes for four seasons. They missed the playoffs in the first three and were eliminated after the play-in round in 2020 — after Chayka had left.
Chayka has been working as chief executive officer of JKC Capital, a family-run company that owns and operates 50 Wendy’s franchises and five Tim Hortons franchises in Ontario and Quebec, according to the company website.
“I’m honoured to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and excited to work alongside Mats and the entire organization,” Chayka said in the announcement. “This is one of hockey’s most historic franchises, with a passionate fan base who want to win. I’m focused on building a team that is competitive, driven and relentless.”
Sundin, meanwhile, will offer advice and support across hockey operations “with a focus on team culture, player development and leadership support,” the team said.
Sundin played for the Leafs for nearly 14 years and is the franchise’s career leader in points. He was the team’s captain from 1997 to 2008. He has never worked in an NHL front office and hasn’t been around the Leafs or the NHL much since his retirement in 2009. He and his family are expected to move to Toronto as he takes on this full-time role with the team.
“This fan base deserves greatness and I am grateful for the opportunity to help this team, organization and city achieve that,” Sundin said in the team 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.”
