Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka says he is in good standing with the other GMs in the NHL, but is focused more on doing what is best for his team.

His hiring by the Leafs on Sunday as the 19th GM in franchise history received negative reviews from fans and media alike due to his shortcomings and controversial exit from his previous tenure running the Arizona Coyotes. It resulted in an awkward introductory press conference on Monday, headlined by a tense interaction between MLSE CEO Keith Pelley and the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons.

The nucleus of the question heard around the world was regarding Chayka’s reputation in hockey circles as well as his character. During an appearance on OverDrive on Wednesday, he opened up about his relations with the 31 other GMs in the league.

“ I think from my side, I would say the folks that I know, which is a large majority, I think I have pretty good relationships with.  I would just point to my history of making transactions. We made quite a few in Arizona as we were trying to kinda move that team around and get into a competitive position,” he said. “ I think the main theme is that whenever you’re trying to make a deal or create a transaction, that there’s two sides to the equation. You’re trying to understand what they’re trying to accomplish, and you’re trying to accomplish something for your club as well.  By no means am I looking to make friends or anything like that. I’m trying to do the best thing in the interest of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s my loyalties, and that’s where that lies.”

While Chayka himself admitted during the introductory press conference that he will be purely judged on his actions by the Toronto market, he must make himself approachable to ensure that he is able to conduct business. We don’t know the extent of the relationships between him and the other GMs, but he was able to execute on over 20 trades across his four seasons with the Coyotes.

Speaking of his previous tenure, one of the things he highlighted as a challenge during his days in Arizona was the lack of resources at his disposal to achieve his vision. That should not be a problem now that he is the GM of the Leafs.

“ From my perspective, I think resources aren’t a problem in Toronto.  The directive from Edward Rogers to me is to do whatever it takes to win a Stanley Cup. I take that seriously,” Chayka said. “ As we think about how we can gain a competitive advantage, it’s not just resources, it’s being resourceful.  Coming from a place like Arizona, it teaches you a lot about that.  How can you be really disciplined in your decision-making, how you can be really disciplined in how you spend money in a cap system. Even though you can spend in the cap, it still matters how you spend those dollars. I think combining resourcefulness with the resources could be a blueprint of how we continue to evolve the organization.”

If the Leafs have aspirations of bouncing back from a disastrous 2025-26 season in a significant way, they got a major boost to achieving that by winning the 2026 NHL Draft lottery and earning the right to select first overall. Whether they end up taking Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, the Leafs suddenly have a transformational piece that can help pay immediate dividends while also bridging the gap to the next era of the team.

Chayka said that Mats Sundin, who was the Leafs’ representative at the draft lottery, was initially skeptical of the Leafs’ chances of winning, but the GM remained optimistic and the balls ultimately bounced their way.

“ The nice part is we just started, so while we have a plan of how we’re thinking about building out the organization, we didn’t have a plan in the draft yet,” he said when asked how much winning the lottery changes their plans. “ We knew that there was optionality of what would happen, and obviously there was a wide range from winning, which we ultimately did, to losing the pick even.  We were kind of thinking about and planning for all of those circumstances. Obviously, the best outcome possible happened, and luck’s a funny thing. You need it to have success long term, and that’s a big one.”

Chayka still has a lot to do to fully endear himself to the skeptical Leafs fans who remain unconvinced that he is the right man for the job. But his comments on prioritizing doing what is best for the team in the interest of achieving their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup will help win over some fans who want to see their GM be ruthless and calculated.