One Maple Leafs Front Office Exec Likely Gone if Chayka Hired

The Toronto Maple Leafs are edging ever closer to finalizing their new hockey operations department. And from all accounts, it sounds like Mats Sundin and John Chayka are going to form the front office tandem tasked with rejuvenating the franchise.

What that will mean for the current employees in the Toronto front office, from assistant GMs on down, remains to be seen.

But according to insider David Pagnotta, speaking on the DFO Rundown, we can be pretty sure that one guy is probably on the outs if Chayka is indeed hired. The Maple Leafs 'Special Advisor to the GM' Shane Doan has a... shall we say... troubled history with Chayka from their days in Arizona.

If Chayka comes in, a lot of people have told me that they don't expect Shane Doan to stick around. His relationship with Chayka, at least previously, is not great.

Doan was going into his 20th season with the Coyotes back in 2016 when Chayka, then 26, was hired as the youngest GM in league history. Doan was the franchise's all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, and points. Basically, a Coyotes legend. But within a year, Chayka made the controversial decision to cut ties with Doan, then 40, declining to sign him to another contract. Doan said at the time that he felt "corporately fired", and the whole affair led to an apology from ownership for how it was handled.

Chayka left the Coyotes three years later under contentious circumstances.

Doan has already had an interview in Vancouver for the Canucks' GM opening, so he's already planning for a non-Leafs future. DFO Rundown host Irfaan Gaffar says that Doan "will be part of the mix going forward here for the Vancouver Canucks" with regards to their front office search.

With the latest news of Chayka's impending arrival in Toronto, expect Shane Doan to be looking for new employment, whether it be in Vancouver, or somewhere else.