Breaking: Maple Leafs Make New Front Office Hirings & Titles Official

And there it is. After all the rumors and predictions, the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially hired Mats Sundin and John Chayka to run their new hockey operations department, per insider Elliotte Friedman. An official announcement is coming today.

Elliotte Friedman reports that the Leafs have hired John Chayka as GM and Mats Sundin as Senior Executive Advisor pic.twitter.com/jUR9OR37pV
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) May 3, 2026

The titles will have Leafs legend Mats Sundin as the Senior Executive Advisor, Hockey Operations, while John Chayka will have the title of general manager. However, Friedman says the latter will be acting, essentially, as the head of hockey operations.

As I understand it, the goal is for Sundin and Chayka to present a united front in making decisions.
Ultimately, however, there must be someone who has the final say and reports directly to MSLE President & CEO Keith Pelley. That is Chayka. The position the organization advertised in its interview process was “head of hockey operations,” and that’s what Chayka will be.

There will be a media conference on Monday where the team will reveal more details. For now, Pierre LeBrun reports that it's a "long-term deal" for Chayka.

Sundin does not have any front office experience running an NHL team, but he will be moving his family to Toronto for the job, which will be, "a full-time commitment."

Mats Sundin: "This fan base deserves greatness and I am grateful for the opportunity to help this team, organization and city achieve that... I look forward to working closely with John as we both recognize the incredible opportunity and responsibility to win here in Toronto."
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) May 3, 2026

Chayka, 36, was the youngest GM in the history of the league, at 26, when he was hired by the Arizona Coyotes in 2016. He left under a cloud of controversy in 2020, and now is back to take the reins of the team in hockey's biggest and most daunting market.

It's a high-risk move on both fronts, and for all involved.

The Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving with a handful of games left in a disastrous 2025-26 season, and have engaged in an exhaustive search since then. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.