This appears to be the first person Toronto has reportedly received permission to speak with about the head of hockey operations position.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly received permission to speak with Florida Panthers assistant general manager and head of analytics, Sunny Mehta, about their head of hockey operations opening.
According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, both the Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils have requested and received permission from the Panthers to speak with Mehta about a potential future role with the teams.
"As head of analytics for the Cup champs," LeBrun wrote, "his background fits a big part of the profile for both the Devils and Leafs."
Mehta has been with the Panthers' organization since 2020 and has served as head of analytics since 2023. Before arriving in Florida, Mehta was the director of hockey analytics with the New Jersey Devils (where he headed the first full-time analytics department in the NHL) from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
The 48-year-old will likely be on the shortlist for the Maple Leafs' head of hockey operations role (whatever that means), given he fits the build MLSE is looking for in the potential hire: someone who's data-centric.
It's been just over a week since Toronto fired general manager Brad Treliving after a difficult season. Since then, MLSE has reportedly hired a search firm — The Coaches Agency, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox — to help the Maple Leafs find a new leader.
As of now, it's unknown what the Maple Leafs' front office structure will look like entering the offseason. It's possible MLSE finds a president of hockey operations and a less-experienced general manager to help run the Maple Leafs.
Other candidates who'll likely speak (or have reportedly spoken) to the Maple Leafs are Mike Gillis and Chris Pronger.
Another name within the Panthers' organization could soon also be in the mix for the role in Toronto, though. LeBrun states that Florida assistant GM Brett Peterson was recently part of the Nashville Predators' in-person interviews for a new general manager.
Along with being a former player, Peterson was vice president for THE TEAM (formerly Wasserman Media Group) before joining the Panthers' front office in 2020. He had also been a certified NHL player agent with THE TEAM since 2009.
"We’ll see if the Leafs and Devils also reach out to Peterson," LeBrun continued.
MLSE CEO Keith Pelley wants to have a new head of hockey operations in place by May or early June. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the search could even get expedited, with a new head coming in around mid-May.