NHL Rumors: Surprising Name Emerges as Maple Leafs GM Candidate

Keith Pelley said at his press conference on Tuesday that the next person running hockey operations in Toronto needs to be data-centric, evidence-based, and comfortable in a modern front office. 

Then on Wednesday, RG.org's Sergey Demidov reported that John Chayka interviewed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in February and is now considered a legitimate candidate to replace Brad Treliving. 

That's a name nobody was expecting.

Who Is John Chayka and Why Is He Being Considered?

Chayka became the youngest GM in NHL history when the Arizona Coyotes handed him the job at 26 years old in 2016. He built his reputation on analytics (he was the former owner of private hockey data service Stathletes before moving into management) and helped Arizona reach their first playoff berth in years before his abrupt and controversial departure in 2020. 

Keith Pelley says he's open to the possibility of hiring both a president and GM for the revamped #leafs front office.

Says there's one must for their next hire: "They have to be data centric."

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 31, 2026

The league suspended him through 2021 for conduct detrimental to the game, finding that he had been pursuing other opportunities while still under contract and had been involved in an illegal pre-draft scouting combine that cost the Coyotes a first and second round pick. 

He's been out of hockey since, running JKC Capital, which is a private investment firm with offices in Toronto, Scottsdale, and Bucharest, and by all accounts has thrived in the business world. 

Friedman says there's a ton of interest in this job. People are just coming out of the wordwork—some of the obvious ones, some of the non-obvious ones

They've already talked to Gillis, there was a report today they talked to John Chayka, Dean Lombardi is interested in this job

— Willyston Riellander (@nylanderthews) April 1, 2026

Elliotte Friedman confirmed Wednesday that he believed the Leafs had already spoken with Chayka, alongside Mike Gillis, naming both as data-driven candidates aligned with Pelley's stated direction. 

A Western Conference NHL club had also apparently considered Chayka for a front office role.

Why the Timing of February's Interview Is So Revealing

The fact that Chayka sat down with the Leafs in February, well before Treliving was fired and before the March 6 trade deadline, says something about how long this process might have quietly been underway. 

It's unlikely the meeting was specifically about the GM job at that point, since reports indicate the final decision on Treliving wasn't made until after the deadline. But it strongly suggests the organization was already building a candidate list and gauging interest from people who fit the philosophy Pelley eventually made public.

Friedman also noted Wednesday that Dean Lombardi of the Philadelphia Flyers has expressed interest in the job or a role within the organization, adding yet another name to a list that already includes Doug Armstrong, Mike Gillis, Doug Wilson, Jason Spezza, and now Chayka. 

If the structure ends up being an experienced president of hockey operations, like Armstrong or someone similar, paired with a younger analytics-driven GM underneath, Chayka starts to make a lot more sense. 

Photo Credit: David Wallace, The Arizona Republic