The Toronto Maple Leafs' front office of John Chayka and Mats Sundin has reportedly had a lengthy conversation with captain Auston Matthews over a Zoom call, marking the first time the two parties had a notable chat.
Since the Toronto Maple Leafs hired John Chayka as the organization's GM and Mats Sundin as the senior executive advisor of hockey operations, they've had plenty of tasks to complete on their to-do list, and winning the NHL draft lottery might have even expedited that process, too.
One of the assignments for the team's new front office is to meet the players, including Maple Leafs superstar and captain Auston Matthews. A report says that the two parties have finally been able to connect.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Matthews and the Maple Leafs haven't had an in-person meeting to this point, but it hasn't been for a lack of trying.
Several hurdles keep the Maple Leafs brass from travelling to Matthews in Arizona, and vice versa.
With the upcoming draft, Toronto will need to do its due diligence in selecting the right player with the first overall pick. Also, they are also in the midst of a search for a new head coach after firing Craig Berube earlier in the month.
On the other hand, the Leafs' captain can't really travel to Toronto after receiving knee surgery in March as a result of the infamous Radko Gudas incident against the Anaheim Ducks on March 12.
Therefore, Matthews isn't in a position to be getting on flights and is at home recovering from the procedure with an expected recovery time of 12 weeks.
However, Friedman believes that Chayka and Sundin had a lengthy conversation with Matthews over a Zoom call recently.
Friedman said that this meeting wasn't to ask for Matthews' approval on any particular matter or decision. But this marks the first time that Matthews and the team's new front office were able to have a true conversation.
The Leafs were able to talk to Matthews about their thoughts and plans for the future of the franchise, as well as their vision and how they would execute those aspirations.
The aftermath of that meeting appears to be positive, but "right now, things are in a good place," Friedman said. "I was told there was nothing that raised any alarms or raised any concerns."
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