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The Toronto Maple Leafs fans choice of GM should raise some significant concerns, considering that people deserve another chance.

The Toronto Maple Leafs officially ended all speculation regarding the management team moving forward. In one of the worst-kept secrets, CEO Keith Pelley confirmed John Chayka as GM and Mats Sundin as senior executive adviser.

As originally reported here on Heavy, the holdup for the announcement was due to the ultimate role Sundin would take on within the organization. The speculation suggested that Sundin would become a vice-president of hockey operations. However, it seems that role didn’t quite materialize.

The discussion on Sundin’s role is better off for another day. For now, bringing in Chayka is something that the Maple Leafs fans must keep an eye on.

Before moving on, it’s worth pointing out that people change. And yes, everyone deserves a second chance. Folks learn from their mistakes and grow up.

That will hopefully be the case for Chayka and the Maple Leafs.

Chayka was a part of a couple of incidents that ended up costing the Arizona Coyotes an expensive lesson.

The first issue had to deal with the forfeiture of a first-round draft pick in 2021. The Coyotes had held unsanctioned prospect workouts, ones that violated the NHL Combine Testing Policy. After an investigation, the Coyotes let Chayka take the fall.

While the league could have imposed economic sanctions on the club, it opted to punish it with draft picks. The Coyotes’ ownership at the time decided to keep Chayka in the fold after the 2020 punishment came down from the league.

But there was another incident that pretty much ended the new Maple Leafs’ GM’s first tenure in the NHL.

New Maple Leafs GM Illicitly Sought Other Employment Opportunities

A common theme this offseason has been organizations requesting permission to speak with someone who is currently working in another organization.

That’s par for the course when someone is under contract in any organization or industry. And that’s why headhunters often cross boundaries when they pursue high-end talent.

In Chayka’s case, he abruptly left the Coyotes in July 2021. There was no explanation for the move. It wasn’t that the team had fired him. It’s just that the Maple Leafs incoming GM up and left the team.

It was later revealed that Chayka had been pursuing other employment opportunities behind the Coyotes’ back. It’s not a practice that’s frowned upon. It’s an illegal move in the NHL, leading the league to suspend Chayka.

According to Maple Leafs insider James Mirtle, the belief was that Chayka was pursuing a job with the New Jersey Devils. That never materialized, of course.

Now, Chayka will be getting one more kick at the NHL can, checkered history and all.

Toronto Hopes Chayka Has Put Baggage in the Past

Again, it’s unfair to judge people solely by their past. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s only fair to give people another chance to prove they have moved on from previous transgressions.

In the Toronto Maple Leafs’ case, they certainly hope that’s the situation with Chayka. If he’s learned his lesson, Toronto could benefit from having a brilliant mind running the team. Perhaps Sundin will be there, lurking about, making sure that Chayka sticks to the plan.

It remains unclear how the Leafs’ new dynamic duo works. But it seems like Sundin will be doing most of the talking while Chayka gets down to the business of ensuring the club gets back to the postseason in 2026-27.