The Maple Leafs front-office search could be over before next week's high-stakes NHL Draft Lottery.
Where do things stand with the Toronto Maple Leafs when it comes to their search for a new head of hockey operations? It seems to change on an ongoing basis; however, a lot of interesting tidbits came through several reports on Wednesday.
Mike Futa, who currently serves as a co-host for Sportsnet’s THE FAN Hockey Show, confirmed that he indeed interviewed for the position. The former assistant GM of the Los Angeles Kings had a Zoom call specifically for the GM position, followed by a two-hour in-person interview. He also disclosed that he was told on Tuesday that he was no longer part of the process.
“I wished them the best, and it was incredible to be part of the process.”
Later in the day, The Athletic reported that several alumni, like Tie Domi and Gary Roberts, were “part of the search,” although it wasn’t explicitly expressed if they are candidates to be part of the structure that may be in place moving forward, or if they are simply being consulted to assist in the process.
Outside of that, Futa’s reveal that he was told on Tuesday they were going in a different direction is interesting. All signs point to a Mats Sundin/John Chayka leadership team that only needs to be finalized through the MLSE board. Per Chris Johnston, it looks like Sundin would have a VP element to his title, although it’s still not clear what that would be. Vice President or Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations have been titles mentioned during the search.
Interestingly enough, Scott White, who was considered a finalist in the process, hadn’t been told as of late Tuesday that he was no longer part of the process. White may remain an alternative should the Sundin/Chayka combination fall through, but none of that is certain.
While the executive search nears its conclusion, that begs the question as to whom the Leafs will send to the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. With reports suggesting that finalizing all the paperwork for a new management structure could go into next week, that would intersect with the lottery set to take place on Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs go into the draw with the fifth-best odds of winning the first overall selection. However, they also have a 41.2 percent chance of dropping from the No. 5 spot, which would mean they’d be sending that pick to the Boston Bruins to complete the deal that saw them acquire veteran defenceman Brandon Carlo in March of 2025.
The Leafs don’t have to have new management in place by that time. The process involves sending a representative to appear in front of a Zoom camera or in person. When the Islanders won last year, the Islanders’ Director of Pro Scouting and alumnus Ken Morrow was on the Zoom camera when the club won the first overall selection.
In any event, it seems like the search for new Leafs management is coming to an end and there will be a solution soon. At that point, the real questions begin. Where will Auston Matthews and William Nylander factor in the team’s future? How will the Leafs address an aging blueline? Is it really a re-tool or is a rebuild necessary?