Friedman added that the timing isn't right between the Maple Leafs and Doug Armstrong, whose name had been in reports for Toronto's new head of hockey operations job.
Although the buck stops at Brad Treliving, there could be more changes afoot for the Toronto Maple Leafs as their season winds down.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines, MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) president and CEO, Keith Pelley, held a Zoom meeting with members of the hockey operations department after the dismissal of Treliving.
"And just from talking to a few people after it was over and in the last couple of days, it's pretty clear that they are expecting major change," Friedman reported.
"Now, I asked, like, 'Did Pelley say anything specifically about change in there?' And it wasn't so much the word. It's about how he talked," continued Friedman. "And, you know, one of the things he kind of mentioned was, we are going to use our resources to the fullest capacity we can. And they were kind of left with the impression that he felt that they hadn't been doing that.
"And so that's why I think a lot of people are expecting that there's going to be even more changes than the one we already saw. And so we'll see how that plays out to the end and after the season."
Friedman added that, as of now, Toronto hasn't asked for permission to speak to anyone who's under contract with another team. That includes Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues, who's in the final year of his role as GM with the team.
"It just doesn't seem like the timing is right for the Blues and the Maple Leafs for Doug Armstrong," added Friedman. "So, you know, anything can change, and I reserve the right that I could be right now and then wrong later. But it just doesn't seem like the timing is right for Doug Armstrong and the Maple Leafs."
During Pelley's media availability on Tuesday, he expressed that the next head of hockey operations for the Maple Leafs needs to be data-centric. And there are plenty of names you could look at who fit that bill throughout the NHL.
One name that's gotten many people talking is Sunny Mehta, assistant general manager of the Florida Panthers. Mehta has been with Florida since 2020 and has served as head of analytics for the Panthers since 2023.
He has a unique background, going from being a professional poker player to a senior data scientist at Zeus Analytics, to the director of hockey analytics (where he headed the first full-time analytics department in the NHL) with the New Jersey Devils from 2014-15 to 2017-18, before joining the Panthers.
It would make sense if his name came up in Toronto's search, and according to Friedman, "I do think he's going to be a factor."
Other names reported to be in the mix are Mike Gillis, as well as Chris Pronger, according to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos.
The Maple Leafs have five games remaining in their schedule before their season ends on Apr. 15. Pelley said he'd like to have the new leadership in place by the NHL Combine at the end of May or by the NHL Draft in late June at the latest.