Well, it’s been an interesting past few days for the Toronto Maple Leafs. First, they hired a new GM, and the reaction has been, well, mixed. Along with John Chayka they added Mats Sundin as a Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations. Chayka has been out of the league since 2020 after he abruptly stepped down from his role as the Arizona Coyotes general manager. Oh, yeah, and he was suspended by the league for a year as well. As for Sundin, this will be the franchise icon’s first job in hockey management.
It’s unlikely that Chayka’s tenure in Toronto, no matter how long it lasts, is going to be interesting. His first order of business is to figure out who the Leafs are going to draft with their shiny new first over pick. They overcame the odds to leapfrog over a couple of teams (sorry Vancouver) and will now have to decide if Gavin McKenna is their next savior.
Hockey News
Jim Rutherford to step down from day-to-day operations [Canucks Army]
On the same day that the Vancouver Canucks, who entered the draft lottery with the best odds for the first overall pick, ended up with the third pick, the man who pulls the strings announced that he will step down from day-to-day operations following the draft. Jim Rutherford, the Canucks President of Hockey Operations, will stay on as Alternate Governor and advisor.
Calder Trophy Finalists [NHL.com]
It’s likely to be a fairly lopsided vote based on the year Matthew Schaefer had for the Islanders, but Beckett Sennecke and Ivan Demidov at least have the honor of being named finalists.
Sam O’Reilly named OHL MVP [London Free Press]
The Lightning prospect, who was traded to Kitchener midseason, finished the regular season with 29 goals and 42 assists. He’s carried that play into the postseason where he has scored 14 goals to lead the Rangers to the OHL final. It’s O’Reilly’s fourth straight trip to the OHL championship round, and he’s been on the winning side the last two seasons (although they were with the London Knights).
Colorado 5, Minnesota 2 [NHL.com]
The Avalanche juggernaut rolls on as they won their sixth game in a row. Nate McKinnon scored twice as the Wild hope things get better when they get on home ice in Game 3.
GoFundMe for Litter Box Cats [GoFundMe]
Our frenemies down south are putting together their finances to keep the site up and running for next season. Also, any bonus money will help out with some medical costs. If you have the means, please toss them a buck or three.
