John Chayka has followed through on MLSE president Keith Pelley's mandate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After firing former general manager Brad Treliving, Pelley spoke about the "foundational pieces" of the Maple Leafs and rebuilding around them, rather than retooling and starting from scratch.
Pelley talked of surrounding those pieces with the right culture, structure, and personnel both on and off the ice. While full of clichés and buzzwords, Chayka's actions since taking over the Leafs' GM duties align with Pelley's desires. A closer look at the offseason moves by the Maple Leafs' front office, and it's clear to see that supporting star players Auston Matthews and William Nylander is of utmost importance.
How the Leafs' Offseason Moves Have Supported Matthews and Nylander
Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin have reshaped the Leafs' on-ice look to help Matthews and Nylander. The bottom-six forwards have been overhauled to lessen defensive responsibilities for the Leafs' captain. The fortune of landing the first overall pick and taking Gavin McKenna adds a potential offensive wizard to aid Matthews and Nylander at even-strength and on the power play.
The booming shot and offensive abilities of Darren Raddysh were added to the team's defense, and the decorated, reliable Sergei Bobrovsky was signed to provide a consistent presence in net. Jack Roslovic, who has a long history with Matthews, was also signed. Yet, the off-ice moves made by the team's front office also prop up the team's star players.
Chayka's hiring of head coach Jim Hiller caught many by surprise. Still, he has experience in the Toronto market as an assistant coach, developing a relationship with Matthews and Nylander in their early years. It was likely that Chayka had conversations with both about their thoughts on Hiller before making the hire.
The topic of the Maple Leafs supporting their stars was discussed on a recent episode of the Toronto Sports Rush with host Kyle Andrew and guest Pierre McGuire. While talking about the recent rumblings around former Leaf James Van Riemsdyk, Andrew noted his connection to Matthews, saying, "It seems like this management team has put a specific focus on building a support system around Auston Matthews that isn't necessarily just about talent, but is about dressing room relationships, off-ice relationships, the general comfort of their captain."
McGuire compared what the Leafs are doing to what he experienced earlier in his career while with the Pittsburgh Penguins and star center Mario Lemieux. He remarked on how Penguins GM Craig Patrick and coach Bob Johnson identified how they had to do something to insulate Lemieux. He noted the similarities of supporting the star players, and believes Toronto has done a good job of doing that with Matthews this offseason.
He called Matthews having a good relationship with Hiller "huge." McGuire also thought the addition of Daniel Alfredsson and the respect he has from his storied career was another step in supporting the team's top players. In Sundin and Alfredsson, Nylander has two important mentors with similar Swedish roots who were also dominant players in their playing days.
McGuire then circled back to MLSE president Pelley, implying he deserves some credit for the moves to assist Matthews and Nylander. He commented that Pelley understands star power from his varied sports background in many professional leagues around the globe. The former scout, GM, coach, and broadcaster said Pelley understands the importance of star players and insulating them.
The Maple Leafs have been down this road before by signing older, veteran players. They also had Hall of Famer and former star Brendan Shanahan as president for a decade. Chayka and Pelley have decided to try again, with hires that reflect deeper connections to their stars, in hopes of better results.
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