Snapshots: A look at new Maple Leafs executives Mats Sundin and John Chayka
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TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs introduced franchise legend Mats Sundin as their new senior executive adviser of hockey operations and John Chayka as general manager Monday.
The long-rumoured moves announced Sunday afternoon come after a disastrous campaign that saw Toronto miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade despite pre-season Stanley Cup talk for a club that hasn’t hoisted hockey’s holy grail since 1967.
MATS SUNDIN
AGE: 55
HOMETOWN: Bromma, Sweden
BACKGROUND: The first European ever selected No. 1 overall at the NHL draft when the Quebec Nordiques called his name first back in 1989, Sundin would go onto play 18 seasons in the league.
The big Swede’s career really took off when he was dealt to the Maple Leafs in a package that included captain Wendel Clark going the other way in 1994.
Sundin, who helped his country win gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics, suited up in 13 campaigns with Toronto, and remains the club’s all-time leader points (987) and game-winning goals (79).
He is the only Swede to score 500 goals in the NHL — finishing with a total of 564 — and has the most points (1,349) by any player from his country.
A fan favourite and captain for 10 campaigns with Toronto in hockey’s biggest media market, Sundin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
JOHN CHAYKA
AGE: 36
HOMETOWN: Jordan Station, Ont.
BACKGROUND: Chayka became the NHL’s youngest GM when he was hired by the Arizona Coyotes in 2016 at age 26.
Before arriving in the desert, he played Tier 2 junior hockey and graduated from Western University’s Ivey Business School.
Chayka helped build an analytics company that aimed to mine data on players and teams — an addition to the classic “eye test” used to scout and grade talent. His time in the desert as Coyotes GM was marked by an analytics-heavy push and a creative approach for a team consistently near the league’s salary cap floor.
Chayka resigned in July 2020 and was then suspended by commissioner Gary Bettman for one year in 2021 after pursuing job opportunities with other teams while still employed by Arizona.
The Coyotes were also docked a pair of high draft picks for holding unauthorized workouts with prospects under his watch, in breach of the league’s scouting combine policy.
Chayka had not held an NHL job since until the Maple Leafs came knocking.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.