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2026-27 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion | Official: Sundin & Chayka to lead front office

cw said:
www.sportsnet.ca

Maple Leafs not interviewing Jay Woodcroft for head coach position

Former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is not interviewing for the Toronto Maple Leafs' head coaching position, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday's 32 Thoughts Podcast.
www.sportsnet.ca www.sportsnet.ca




The average length of employment for a NHL coach is 2.3 years.

28th place team. Injured team superstar whose missing his setup man may well depart in a year. Shallow prospect system. Weak UFA market. Aged D. etc
plus side: 1st draft pick. Knies, goaltending depth. Cowan?, Danford? others?

New coach might be a hero for helping them make it back to the playoffs
But beyond that, it is unlikely to end well with a weak propect system and NHL development taking 6 years for a lot of draft picks. It is tough to build a true contender in those 2.3 years. So top tier coaches will probably seek potentially greener/more reliable looking pastures.

I suspect Leafs might have to look at 2nd tier, up and coming coaches - someone looking for a chance. That's not the end of the world. All NHL coaches have to start somewhere/somehow. MLSE board might prefer that as they will be cheaper to fire.
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I was thinking about that very same thing...given how it seems the players ran Berube out of town, at least the appearance of that possibility, superior coaches may not be interested in that kind of environment.
 
cw said:
www.sportsnet.ca

Maple Leafs not interviewing Jay Woodcroft for head coach position

Former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is not interviewing for the Toronto Maple Leafs' head coaching position, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday's 32 Thoughts Podcast.
www.sportsnet.ca www.sportsnet.ca




The average length of employment for a NHL coach is 2.3 years.

28th place team. Injured team superstar whose missing his setup man may well depart in a year. Shallow prospect system. Weak UFA market. Aged D. etc
plus side: 1st draft pick. Knies, goaltending depth. Cowan?, Danford? others?

New coach might be a hero for helping them make it back to the playoffs
But beyond that, it is unlikely to end well with a weak propect system and NHL development taking 6 years for a lot of draft picks. It is tough to build a true contender in those 2.3 years. So top tier coaches will probably seek potentially greener/more reliable looking pastures.

I suspect Leafs might have to look at 2nd tier, up and coming coaches - someone looking for a chance. That's not the end of the world. All NHL coaches have to start somewhere/somehow. MLSE board might prefer that as they will be cheaper to fire.
Click to expand...
You make a promise to them that if the turnaround doesn't work that you are ok to pivot to drafting and developing. Realistically you get only next year to do something or not, and I'm betting not.
 
That sounds horrifying. Just from watching guys like Ronnie Coleman you can see what a bad back surgery can do.
 
herman said:
The injury that Domi played through (a question for a different day and front office group) is not the issue: it's the complications that arose from the corrective procedure that is currently impacting his availability for the foreseeable future. Max Domi is Type 1 Diabetic, which while manageable in the day-to-day, comes with a host of serious issues in post-operative situations.
Click to expand...

This is also what I was wondering about.
 
dappleganger said:
What effect would this have on Mark Leach? I'm guessing Brackett would slot in ahead of him.
Click to expand...

That’s my assumption. Brackett was pursuing a promotion that MIN did not entertain, so this will be an upward move; my assumption is the AGM director of player personnel (formerly Derek Clancey) so he’d oversee pro and amateur scouting decisions

cw said:
Would I be wrong to assume he will be restricted from participating in this year's draft?
Click to expand...

Probably, but all the Leafs prep work should basically be complete save for final tweaks from the combine and any due diligence flags.
 
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Maple Leafs add Judd Brackett and Freddie Hamilton to Hockey Operations Department​

www.nhl.com

Maple Leafs add Judd Brackett and Freddie Hamilton to Hockey Operations Department | Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced today that the hockey club has appointed Judd Brackett as Assistant General Manager, Player Evaluation, and Freddie Hamilton as Chief of Staff. Brackett will oversee player evaluation across both amateur and professional scouting. Brackett, 49, spent five...
www.nhl.com www.nhl.com
 
Feels like yesterday I was laughing at the Canucks for being so cheap they lost the draft guy that netted them Q. Hughes and Pettersson (and got overruled on M. Tkachuk) and bemoaning that he went to the Wild (to eventually net them the prospect capital to swing a Q. Hughes trade).

Anything that improves the pro scouting side of the Leafs decision making process is very positive.
 
herman said:
Feels like yesterday I was laughing at the Canucks for being so cheap they lost the draft guy that netted them Q. Hughes and Pettersson (and got overruled on M. Tkachuk) and bemoaning that he went to the Wild (to eventually net them the prospect capital to swing a Q. Hughes trade).

Anything that improves the pro scouting side of the Leafs decision making process is very positive.
Click to expand...
Especially since it is arguably the team's biggest flaw for years.
 
The other big thing the Brackett hire adds to the front office is someone in Leadership with extensive actual NHL front office experience

GM: John Chayka, interrupted
Sr. Advisor: Mats Sundin, it's been awhile
AGM, Player Development: Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, doesn't really get directly involved on pro side
AGM, Minor League OPS: Ryan Hardy, USHL, AHL focused
AGM, R&D: Darryl Metcalf, numbers focused
AGM, Player Evaluation: Judd Brackett, been in front offices on drafting/dev for decades
 
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