Maple Leafs Reportedly Close to Hiring New Front Office – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

According to recent reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs are very close to hiring their new front office. After weeks of speculation following the firing of former general manager (GM) Brad Treliving, it appears to be coming to an end.

To put this together and find out who the front office will be, it will include a few reports from a few of the NHL’s top insiders. So, let’s dig into it.

Reports suggest Sundin and Chayka

First, let’s start with a report from Elliotte Freidman on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts the Podcast. He reported that the Maple Leafs are all but set for the merger of Mats Sundin as President of Hockey Operations and John Chayka as GM.

This will bring the Maple Leafs legend back to the organization and allow Sundin to have a bigger say when it comes to all things Hockey Ops. As for Chayka, he brings the “data-centric” GM that Keith Pelley talked about in his end-of-season media availability.

Here’s what Friedman had to say:

“As it is, I feel that it will be Sundin and Chayka, they have to close the deal.

“They felt like the pride of the team was damaged last year. The team didn’t have the esprit de corps that you wanted to have,” said Friedman. “And I think they’re hoping that by bringing back Sundin and someone who cares about the Maple Leafs as much as he does, he can at least bring some of that back and hopefully help be a part of what makes them successful.”

“I don’t think this is a small role. I don’t think he’s going to come here to kiss the kids and shake hands. I think they hope he can play a big role in shaping the future of the club.”

If this is a combination, Maple Leafs fans will be happy to have Sundin back in the mix. He is widely regarded as one of, if not the best players in franchise history. So, having him as the head of Hockey Ops, would change the culture around the organization a lot. As he is able to use many ideologies from his time with the group. Unfortunately, it’s Chayka who has the most rowdies. Yes, he is a young hockey genius, but his career path has been questionable. Including his resignation as GM of the Arizona Coyotes and suspension for conduct detrimental to the league.

Who Else Can Be Hired?

After Friedman suggested that Sundin and Chayka would be a combination POHO and GM. There were other reports suggesting that other Maple Leafs could be offered jobs in the front office.

According to Chris Johnston, Jonas Siegel, and James Mirtle of The Athletic, they reported that Tie Domi was involved in the process so that Sundin could accept the role. Also, former fan favorite pitcher Gary Roberts could also be part of the front office.

Sundin isn’t the only former Leaf involved. Tie Domi, a longtime friend of Sundin’s from their time in Toronto, plays a role in the search. Besides Sundin, Domi has established a relationship with Pelley and Chayka. Tie’s son and current Leaf Max Domi played for the Coyotes when Chayka was GM there. Former Leaf Gary Roberts has also spoken to the team as part of the program.

(from ‘What we’re hearing about Maple Leafs management search,’ The Athletic, April 29, 2026)

They also reported that Dallas Stars assistant GM Scott White has not yet been told that he is out of the running for the Maple Leafs’ GM job.

The last player whose name was linked to the Maple Leafs front office was TSN broadcaster Mike Johnson. This appeared on a recent episode of The Sheet with Jeff Marek. There he floated the idea that Johnson would bring a good hockey sense to work closely with Sundin, who is his best friend.

At this point, there’s no word on whether that will actually happen, but the idea certainly makes sense. Johnson will bring a high level hockey mentality that doesn’t have a “front office” mindset. Instead, he has spent the last number of years between the TSN benches, watching hundreds of hockey games and while keeping a close eye on the NHL’s best talent.