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Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Sunday that they have parted ways with assistant general manager Brandon Pridham.

The team announced the decision in a social media post. In the club’s statement, it said that Pridham and the team mutually agreed to part ways, while the Maple Leafs have also moved on from another assistant manager, Derek Clancey.

Maple Leafs Making Moves Under John Chayka

This is yet another big move the Maple Leafs have made under John Chayka’s watch since he took over as the club’s general manager two weeks ago. Along with senior advisor and franchise legend Mats Sundin, Chayka made the decision to fire former head coach Craig Berube after two seasons at the helm of the team. Although the Leafs won the Atlantic Division in Berube’s first season behind the Leafs’ bench, they struggled badly this season and missed the postseason entirely. That led to former GM Brad Treliving being let go, and Berube joined him two months later on the unemployment line.

Chayka promised he would be making big moves when he took over, and he certainly wasn’t lying, as cutting Berube and now Pridham, a longtime, highly respected employee and salary cap expert in the Maple Leafs’ upper management room, certainly qualify as big moves. But Chayka promised that no stone would be left unturned under his watch, and so far, he has been delivering some tough news to people in the Leafs organization.

It will be interesting to see who the Maple Leafs bring in to replace Pridham as a salary cap expert. Chayka, of course, is an incredibly bright mind in the game, but all GMs need assistant GMs to help them navigate the salary cap. There were rumblings that the Leafs had too many assistant general managers, and when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, sometimes trouble brews. So we will find out soon if Chayka plans on hiring someone externally or promoting someone internally to fill Pridham’s shoes, if at all.

What’s Next for Toronto?

As for what’s next for Toronto, aside from the team’s upcoming head coaching hire, the biggest decision on the table right now is who the team will select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

The Maple Leafs won the draft lottery a few weeks ago, in Chayka and Sundin’s second day on the job, giving them the ability to select any amateur hockey player they want. The consensus No. 1 pick being targeted by clubs is Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna, and that’s likely who the team will end up taking. However, there are certainly other top-end prospects in what is considered to be a loaded draft, so it will be interesting to see who the team drafts with the first pick. Of course, there is always the outside chance they could trade the pick and get additional assets for it, but given how lucky the Leafs were to get No. 1 overall, they would be smart to keep it and take McKenna.