John Chayka is making sure that everyone knows he isn’t on vacation yet. The intensity of draft week and the opening of free agency is in the rearview mirror, but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ coaching changes have been finalized, and changes are being made around Hockey Ops. When the dust settles, it seems clear the Maple Leafs will be a very different organization. Time will tell if the change is for the better.

The Maple Leafs made some interesting moves as they finalize who will be standing behind the bench for the Leafs and the Marlies next season.

Starting with the Marlies, the decision to put Steve Sullivan in charge looks like a great move. His first foray into coaching the Maple Leafs power play last season and his ability to connect with the players instantly showed enough promise that his name came up for the Maple Leafs head coaching job.

Giving Sullivan the reins of the Marlies gets him the experience he has been missing. His experience in Player Development means he’ll be doing the right thing for the Leafs prospects, and the Leafs are doing right by Sullivan, developing him as well.

With Daniel Alfredsson coming in, there wasn’t an opportunity for Sullivan to run the Maple Leafs power play, and it’s safe to say that Alfredsson is the organization’s guy, or at least Mats Sundin’s.

Getting Alfredsson behind the bench and giving him a shot to try out his coaching chops seems advantageous as well. His apparent enthusiasm for the opportunity seems more inspiring than Derek Lalonde in the associate coach role.

John Gruden’s return to the NHL is a potential plus for the Maple Leafs too. It remains to be seen if it will be him or Brad Werenka running the Maple Leafs defence next season, but with Gruden’s experience both as an NHL defensive coach and a Calder Cup-winning AHL Head Coach last season, he’s an upgrade over the outgoing staff utilized by Craig Berube.

Werenka’s strength in analytics seems to be one of the driving factors behind having him behind the bench, along with his player development experience. Presumably, Werenka might be more of an “eye in the sky” or skills coach for the Leafs.

What is interesting here is that most of these moves seem Chayka/Sundin driven rather than by Jim Hiller. I’m not sure Hiller has the body of work that it is clear who he’d bring in or that he has his guys around the league, but an analytics hire, a friend of Sundin, and an organizational promotion don’t look like Hiller had a say. That said, they look like an exciting new direction for the Leafs behind the bench.

It is no surprise that John Chayka targeted the scouting and analytics departments for a change on his watch. Chayka’s company, Stathletes, specifically provides those services, and he will feel strongly about who he wants in those roles.

The predictability of that outcome doesn’t make things easy on anyone who doesn’t have a high opinion of Stathletes and believes they’ve been selling snake oil for years. Given that Chayka’s reputation isn’t particularly strong around the NHL, it stands to reason that there are some naysayers to the value of his approach to scouting and analytics within the Maple Leafs organization as well.

There is also the unknown AI factor to consider. Keith Pelley joyfully boasted about MLSE’s sports science team and using AI around the trade deadline. If Maple Leafs employees weren’t on board with prompt-driven AI, it’s possible they were considered the wrong direction for the organization.

If the intent is to move towards Stathletes and AI, John Chayka’s decision is understandable. He needs people on his page. That said, neither Stathletes nor AI seems like a path to success, and fans of the organization should be considered with the “evidence” being used in their “evidence-based decision-making.”

What I wouldn’t give to never hear about Patrick Kane again. We’ll all have to suffer through an inevitable Hockey Hall of Fame induction, but given how watered down that honour has become over the years, it is increasingly easy to dismiss that event as well.

The younger, faster version of the Maple Leafs that John Chayka and Jim Hiller have promoted can do without a nearly 38-year-old winger. A lineup that already features Chris Tanev, John Tavares, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Sergei Bobrovsky does not need to seek out another elder statesman.

By the numbers, Kane might be a fit. Matthews likes him. McKenna looks up to him. The Leafs could use another top-six capable forward. The catch is the sideshow that comes with Kane.

Does Toronto need a polarizing player? Do the Maple Leafs want to re-open the can of worms that is Kane’s past? It’s safe to say it will happen. It rightfully should. It matters who wears a Maple Leafs jersey.

The mentorship idea also needs to be thrown out the window. How many “big brothers” did the Maple Leafs bring in for Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews? None of Matt Martin, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, or Jason Spezza can be considered success stories in Toronto. (Though Spezza and Thornton were at least priced in a way it didn’t matter if they were.)

And it’s not as if the Maple Leafs are out of options, even in free agency.

Patrik Laine is an interesting option to try to reboot. At 28, there is a lot of hockey left in a player who has 422 points in 537 career games.

If Laine is too much of a risk, Eeli Tolvanen is the right kind of player for the Maple Leafs who can slide from a third-line role into the top six easily enough. He seems tailor-made for a line with Easton Cowan and Nick Paul.

And there’s Anthony Mantha. He’s younger, he outscored Kane last season, and he brings size to the top six. He’s thrived in his career when put with talented players, and the Leafs can reasonably run three skilled lines in 2026-27.

Given that the Maple Leafs don’t have the cap space to add players, all of this comes down to who is willing to play in Toronto.

Never miss what matters in the game. From lineup changes to breaking trades and must-read analysis, The Leafs Nation delivers the insight serious hockey fans rely on—straight to your inbox. Sign up for the The Leafs Nation newsletter here!