The Toronto Maple Leafs are down to the final two candidates for the team’s general manager role, according to a prominent NHL insider.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast on Friday that the Maple Leafs have narrowed their GM list from 10 to just two candidates. The two remaining candidates are former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka and Dallas Stars assistant GM Scott White.
According to Friedman, the Maple Leafs are leaning towards hiring Chayka, but White remains a strong possibility, and he doesn’t expect a final decision to be made until next week.
“I do believe the organization is leaning that way (Chayka), but we’re far from done. I don’t think anything is going to be finalized this week or over the weekend,” Friedman said.
John Chayka Had and Up-and-Down Tenure With the Arizona Coyotes
Chayka was previously the GM of the Arizona Coyotes from 2016 to 2020. When he was first hired by the Coyotes at age 26, he became the youngest general manager in NHL history. The Coyotes, who historically were a losing franchise, posted a 131-147-38 record under Chayka, and they made the playoffs in his final season with the team. However, he stepped down from his role in July 2020, just before the playoffs began during the staggered COVID-19 season. Chayka then got in trouble with the NHL when it came out that he was talking to other teams about jobs while still being under contract with the Coyotes. In addition, the Coyotes were fined two draft picks after it came out that Chayka held a private combine for draft prospects, which was against league rules.
Still, Chayka is only 36 years old now, and he already has experience running a hockey team. He is also heavily into analytics, something which MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley has said is important to him when finding the Maple Leafs’ next GM. That’s why Chayka is at the top of the list right now with the Maple Leafs, and why he may end up getting the team’s top executive job.
Scott White Has Been Impresssive for the Dallas Stars
White first joined the Dallas Stars in 2005, so he has been with the team for over 20 years. The Stars are considered one of the best-run organizations in all of hockey, so it makes total sense why the Maple Leafs are heavily considering hiring him to be the team’s next GM. White has been the GM of the Texas Stars since 2009, and he has been an assistant GM with the Dallas Stars since 2013, so he has tons of experience in the game, and with a winning team, to boot.
At age 58, White is on the older side for a first-time GM, but he has paid his dues in hockey, and he deserves a chance to become the GM for a team, whether that is the Maple Leafs or another squad in the near future. It is unclear how much White leans into analytics when he makes his hockey decisions, but based on how much success the Stars have had as a franchise, you have to respect the way he makes his decisions.
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