The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the midst of a very public front-office search. Just about every pundit and insider has dropped their insights and rumblings regarding who could take over the President of Hockey Operations (POHO) and general manager (GM) roles.
Several names have emerged. But one that’s seemingly gaining traction is that of Sunny Mehta. Mehta is currently an assistant GM with the Florida Panthers. And given the Panthers’ recent string of championship seasons, it makes sense teams would want to kick the tires on the 47-year-old.
As Pierre LeBrun reported in The Athletic, the Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils have requested permission to speak to Mehta. The Panthers have not denied permission, allowing the two organizations to speak with the former financial trader.
It’s interesting to note that Mehta is a data scientist and has been a pioneer in the analytics side of hockey. As such, his profile, as diverse as it is, is consistent with what Maple Leafs CEO Keith Pelley described as the “data-driven” individual the organization seeks.
There’s no telling if the Maple Leafs have actually spoken to Mehta or his reps at this point. Likely, there has been some sort of communication, but it’s unclear to what extent.
The interest is certainly there. And unless the Devils can scoop up Mehta before the Leafs, there might be a good shot that Mehta will get his first shot at becoming a full-time NHL GM.
Mehta has long track record in NHL analytics
Mehta is no greenhorn when it comes to NHL analytics. His background in data science, along with his notorious success as a poker player, likely stems from his strong numerical and statistical training.
That’s something Mehta has translated to pro sports. He worked with the defunct Arizona Coyotes and the Devils before taking up a full-time role with the NHL in building the league’s analytics department.
Mehta then joined the Panthers in 2020, earning a promotion to assistant GM in 2023. That career progression has him on track to become a full-time GM. It’s also consistent with an observation regarding the fact that the Maple Leafs could pair a first-time GM with an experienced POHO.
Another insider, Chris Johnston, first mused about the Maple Leafs pairing a first-time GM with a seasoned POHO. If that’s the case, Mehta fits the bill perfectly.
In fact, it almost seems as though Pelley described Mehta and his background during his presser a couple of weeks ago. The only thing Pelley left out was actually naming Mehta directly. Of course, he couldn’t do that. But reading between the lines, it seems as though Mehta is the top candidate.
The coming days and weeks should reveal where the Maple Leafs want to go with their search. There seems to be an intense competition. So, it might be a matter of beating the Devils to the punch.