Toronto Maple Leafs

John Chayka Has Given Leafs Fans Plenty to Think About

The Maple Leafs open the season tomorrow looking different in almost every way. Three things about John Chayka are becoming clear.

by
Old Prof
September 28, 2026

The regular season starts tomorrow, and the Toronto Maple Leafs seem like a brand new team. New general manager John Chayka has been busy since May, so here are three things his summer has shown us.

What Have Maple Leafs Fans Learned About Chayka?

First, Chayka doesn’t fix one piece. He fixes everything.

Chayka didn’t tweak the roster and hope. New coach in Jim Hiller. A front office that looks different from the top down. Woll, Benoit, Carlo and Robertson out, with Bobrovsky, Raddysh, Paul, Sissons and Roslovic in. He also flipped the development approach and brought Mats Sundin back into the fold. His theory seems to be that an organization only improves when every part moves in the same direction, and that’s a very different approach from chasing one big name and calling it a plan.

Second, Chayka builds for April, not just October.

Look at where the money went. Matthews, Nylander and Knies eat up a big chunk of the cap, but Toronto is also spending over $32 million on the other 11 forwards. Those are penalty killers, faceoff guys, physical players and guys who can slide around the lineup. None of them will carry the offence. They exist to make the team harder to play against when games tighten up in the spring. After years of stars and thin depth, that’s a real shift.

Third, Chayka listens, and he plays the long game.

Chayka never had to “sell” Matthews on the plan. If anything, Matthews was getting him to buy in. A GM who treats his captain like a partner is telling you something. The same goes for how he handles the young players. McKenna was kept out of the prospect tournament, and Cowan and Danford are being brought along without being rushed. He’ll also take cheap swings on guys like Brendan Brisson, betting that a few long shots hit.

So What Don’t Fans Know Yet?

Plenty. Every GM looks smart in July, and the standings are the only honest test. Bobrovsky is 38 and coming off a rough year. Tanev’s health is a question mark. The cap is tight, so if something breaks, Chayka won’t have much room to fix it. And nobody knows yet whether a rookie like McKenna can handle the spotlight.

But if who you are is what you do, Chayka has shown us plenty. He’s aggressive, he’s organized around roles, and he’s patient where it counts. Tomorrow, the games start counting.