Brendan Shanahan may not have been the best President when it came to hockey ops, but he knew how important the Toronto Maple Leafs are and turned the organization into a first-class, respected group. Shanahan’s no-nonsense approach trickled through the organization.
That notion seems to be gone, as the Leafs are considering hiring disgraced former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka to fill the hole left by Brad Treliving. Chayka ended his GM career in Arizona surrounded by controversy—Shanahan would not have even considered him to represent such a storied franchise.
Is Chayka actually good enough to look past his behaviour? Or are the Leafs travelling back in time and becoming a second-class organization again? Let’s discuss.
Chayka’s past
After becoming the youngest GM in NHL history at the age of 26, Chayka resigned from the Coyotes position in 2020. As it turned out, Chayka was interviewing for a New Jersey Devils job that would have put him in control of every HBSE team: the Devils, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Washington Commanders.
This was not allowed, and Coyotes’ ownership knew it. They weren’t going to allow their young GM with three years left on his contract to leave, so Chayka resigned. Because of the breach of contract, Gary Bettman dropped a year-long suspension on him. Yes, Chayka was very young at the time, but this behaviour is a massive red flag.
Arizona was also docked a first and second-round pick after it was discovered that Chayka and the organization put on their own draft combine that year to gain exclusive information about potential draftees. Again, this was not allowed. Chayka was bending and breaking rules to get a leg up on other franchises. Some may see this as a guy desperate to win; I see it as a guy who’s not scared to put the organization at risk by breaking the rules.
The Leafs should be above this kind of hire. I’m not opposed to bringing in a fiery young GM, but one that already has a history of cheating and bailing on a franchise? What are we doing here?
His hockey history
If Chayka didn’t have his devious past, I’d be all aboard the Chayka train. His trades and signings in Arizona were mostly fantastic, and while he made some drafting mistakes, his overall track record is great.
His three biggest extensions went to Jakub Chychrun (6 x $4.6M), Nick Schmaltz (7 x $5.85M), and Clayton Keller (8 x $7.15M). All three of these were steals—Keller still has two more years at just over $7M. He found Michael Bunting and gave him a two-year deal under $1M, and had Lawson Crouse under contract for three years at $1.5M.
He did sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson to his massive 8-year, $8.25M contract, which is the glaring blemish in his signings.
As for trades, again, he was very good. He got Nick Schmaltz for Dylan Strome, Darcy Kuemper for Scott Wedgewood, and consistently traded for draft picks he hit on. He also received Lawson Crouse for just a second and third-round pick.
His last trade was a big one, shipping off three prospects plus a first and third-round pick for Taylor Hall. While the price was steep, Hall led the Coyotes to the playoffs (which Chayka did not get to see—he resigned before the postseason started).
In all, his resume is impressive. What is most intriguing is the sheer number of moves he made, something the Leafs have needed badly for years. It is definitely enticing to get Chayka, who won’t be scared to make multiple moves. Treliving seemed to be the opposite.
The verdict
Despite all his successes, there’s no reason the Leafs should be so attracted to a guy who has already resigned from his post early and been caught cheating. What’s stopping Chayka from using this job as a launching platform for bigger gigs? Are the Leafs fully convinced he’s changed?
I don’t know John Chayka, and I don’t know how the interview process is going. But I do know his past, and I know the Toronto Maple Leafs should behave like a top NHL organization. Hiring him is not the sign of a first-class franchise; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Shanahan gave the Leafs a sense of pride and importance. It seems that feeling is fading with the emergence of Keith Pelley. I just hope Toronto knows what it’s getting into if it hires Chayka.
