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Leafs Front Office 2026 | Official: Sundin & Chayka to lead front office

Frank E said:
In my humble opinion, what Simmons did there was very insulting to Chayka...an unsubstantiated bullshit "19 out of 20" blah blah blah. I don't mind when the Leafs media holds people accountable, but Chayka hasn't made one single decision yet.

Let's give the guy a chance to screw up before we throw him under the bus.

And honestly, I think Chayka should evaluate Berube before simply firing millions of dollars
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It definitely was a rude question, but why are his claims any less true? It's corroborated in a very large amount of reporting I've read so far. He turned me around a bit when he was dead right on Hakkanpaa and very rightly called out the signing. Truthfully he asked the question a very large portion of the fan base was thinking and I don't see why he shouldn't do that. Maybe with more decorum, sure, but it's a fair question.
 
herman said:
Exactly this. The core of the question was valid, but he would've received a more reasonable (non)answer if it was posed professionally.

These journalists could do their own digging about the real story behind the red flags.
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Did you listen to the press conference? Most of Pelley's answers were non-answers. You'd get less testy non-answers, but still non-answers.
 
Like the Tre hiring, I wasn't convince he was the right guy for the job but wish him well. I won't judge him on his past, just what he does going forward.

And Simmons is a moron. So unprofessional. He could have actually asked a question instead of accusing if he had a brain.
 
I didn't hear it live so don't know what happened after the Simmons clip but I just watched:

(1) The first part of his question was BS. If he's going to purport to quote 20 insiders and 95% say this was a mistake, well, you can take it or leave it. But then he goes on to ask "How could you possibly have come to a conclusion that I, Steve Simmons, did not?" which is just narcissism.
(2) The second part was accurate and he should have just asked that alone.
 
Guru Tugginmypuddah said:
Hopefully has the presentation all ready to go showing why and how trading anyone over the age of 25 is the path forward.
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Pelley was strongly leaning towards retooling. He said as much when he fired Treliving.
Part of the way Chayka probably got the job was expressing a willingness to retool - telling Pelley what he wanted to hear to get that short term playoff revenue ... Some of the 27 candidates Pelley said he considered - probably/arguably the more credible ones - likely got eliminated when they said, as many have, "blow it up and rebuild"

Another part of the way Chayka probably got the job was his family company Stathletes - providing data centric decision making that Pelley was looking for. Some of the 27 candidates Pelley said he considered wouldn't have that or as much of it.

From the PC, they're collectively intent on securing Matthews. Matthews or his health is arguably the real Leafs GM making the biggest franchise talent decision that will affect its direction any time soon until Matthews decides whether he is going to re-sign or not. With the state of the current NHL team - age, talent and contracts, it's lack of prospects in the system and some lack of draft picks, it is hard to see how this team will seriously contend for a Cup any time soon - so why should Matthews, age 29 next September, hang around?

Chayka exchanged text messages with Matthews. He and Sundin haven't talked to the players or Berube, who they seem to be leaning on retaining. So they don't really know what they're going to do or how tough a sell they've got with Matthews. But they have bought in on trying to make a go of it with Matthews - which helped them get the job.

So the plan seems to be to flail around for a season or two until Matthews gives notice. Then the rebuild will probably begin.
 
Regarding the approach to Craig Berube, it was clear that some of the players were tuning him out as the season went on. How will you assess whether he remains the right person for the job?

Chayka: I think Craig is a great coach. I am not sure players tuned him out. I know it was a hard year. But he is a Stanley Cup coach for a reason, too.

We are going to get together and spend time together. I’ll listen. He went through a season. I want to hear the ups and downs, what he tried, what worked, what didn’t work, and his thoughts on the roster.

I had Rick Tocchet in Arizona. They’ve got a close relationship. I got a bit of insight into how those guys think about the game and some structure things. We are not starting from zero.

I really like Craig, and I want to spend more time with him.
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Emphasis my own. This bit scares me. But also I recognise he isn’t going to tell the media he’s firing the guy. So I hope it’s just that professionalism.
 
While Simmons framed the question rather bluntly, the underlying sentiment is valid. The widespread consensus on this hiring is that it's a major misstep, putting someone in a position they aren't equipped to handle. Given that, it’s fair to wonder what led to this decision, especially with the looming concern that Keith Pelley won't stay out of the way. If he decides to get involved, his lack of hockey knowledge could make a tough situation significantly worse.
 
Bender said:
It definitely was a rude question, but why are his claims any less true? It's corroborated in a very large amount of reporting I've read so far. He turned me around a bit when he was dead right on Hakkanpaa and very rightly called out the signing. Truthfully he asked the question a very large portion of the fan base was thinking and I don't see why he shouldn't do that. Maybe with more decorum, sure, but it's a fair question.
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It was a lousy gotcha kind of presentation by Simmons. But as you say "It's corroborated in a very large amount of reporting I've read so far." I too have seen, heard or read things like that. 19 out of 20 seems excessive as a higher percentage are wait and see from what I've seen. I'll bet there are a bunch of aspiring GMs around the league saying to themselves "WTF just happened in Toronto?"

Is there any merit to their concerns?:
In six seasons of junior hockey (SCTA, GHJHL, MJAHL,BCHL,OJHL), I think he played 3 playoff rounds that his team lost
Aside from his stats company, his only jobs in hockey were in 5 years total in AZ as ass't GM & GM
His drafts in AZ were not very good (2016, his best, was days after he got the job so it is questionable how much input he provided)
His trades in AZ were generally not great/good
AZ pts% was below .500 during his time - he never GM'd during a NHL playoff appearance - his 5 AZ NHL teams (one as ass't GM) qualified for one playoff round played after he left that they lost
His AHL team made the playoffs one season of five and lost in the 2nd round
He's been out of hockey 6 years
Chayka was suspended from the NHL for a year for "conduct detrimental to the league and game" and for breaching "his obligation to the club" by pursuing opportunities with other clubs while still under contract with the Arizona Coyotes.
Coyotes lost 1st & 2nd round picks for hosting a private scouting combine prior to the draft during Chayka's watch
Apparently, he's fending off tampering allegations days into his job with the Leafs.
In his six seasons of junior, his 5 seasons overseeing the AZ AHL team and 5 seasons overseeing the AZ NHL team, he has won only one AHL playoff round that I could find. He's never won any championship or tournament in hockey as a player or executive that I could find.

So his career facts support the question "is this the best the Leafs could do?" as not being an unreasonable question.

As a Leafs fan, I hope for the best and that he's successful. But I can certainly understand the concern and pessimism as it is well founded.
 
I'm trying but no part of my brain can rationalize this hire. I want to be optimistic but the evidence is overwhelming against it.
 
Bender said:
I'm a millennial and I don't understand how saying "you know" is a millennial thing.
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lisa-simpsons-like-you-know.gif
 
Bender said:
Did you listen to the press conference? Most of Pelley's answers were non-answers. You'd get less testy non-answers, but still non-answers.
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Yeah, there were definitely non-answers; but judging by experience with Pelley pressers, if you just ask an open-ended question with genuine curiosity he might volunteer too much about Radim Mrtka and Michael Hageeeeee or whoever else they interviewed.

I think Simmons asked the question we all wanted an answer to, but his positioning of the question forced a defensive non-answer and really derailed any actual answers going forward for the rest of the press. There's a difference between asking tough questions and whatever that self-aggrandizing attack was.
 
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