While some are looking forward to what’s next for the Toronto Maple Leafs, others still wonder what has happened recently.

When speaking to the media during the introductory press conference of John Chayka as the team’s new general manager, and former captain Mats Sundin as the new senior executive advisor of hockey operations, MLSE CEO Keith Pelley addressed the rumours that he used artificial intelligence at the trade deadline in March.

“There have been countless erroneous reports and inaccurate information over the past six weeks,” Pelley explained. “We just didn’t want to comment on them, including…that I was using A.I. during the trade deadline…preposterous.”

Pelley also denied reports that former Maple Leafs enforcer Tie Domi was involved in the search for the team’s next general manager, as well as that Chayka’s agent was Neil Glasberg of The Coaches Agency,  the group Toronto hired to assist in the decision.

“‘Neil is John’s agent. Tie wasn’t involved in the process, whatsoever. It’s another erroneous rumour.”

According to a report from Chris Johnston of The Athletic, Pelley “had notes that included possible trade returns that Leafs staff members believed were generated by Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence.” This came after Pelley originally noted during a press conference on March 31 that he was no more than an observer of the team’s operations during the March 6 deadline.

Leading up to the deadline, then-Leafs GM Brad Treliving traded Scott Laughton to the Los Angeles Kings, Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken and Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche. In return, the team received five draft picks – three in 2026 and two in 2027.

The Athletic also reported that Domi was part of the organization’s search for its next GM, and that Glasberg was connected to Chayka. While Domi has a large number of connections with the current Leafs group, his son, Max, is a key member of the roster. Pelley seemed adamant that the former tough guy wasn’t part of the team’s work in finding their new executives.