Reporter grills Maple Leafs exec over polarizing John Chayka GM hire
Whew; we wouldn't want to be on the other end of this line of questioning.
The hockey world is abuzz over Toronto Maple Leafs hiring John Chayka as their next general manager. The Chayka hire is, to be nice, quite polarizing, especially considering the former Arizona Coyotes general manager's controversial stint atop that organization . Chayka was far from the most appealing name in the NHL general manager pool, leaving the hockey community stunned as to why one of the league's flagship franchises would hire him to run its personnel side.
Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons gave Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO and president Keith Pelley the brutal business in questioning the Chayka hire on Monday. It's a fiery question you have to hear to appreciate on how pointed it is at poking holes in the team's logic of making Chayka its new GM. He even shared feedback from a brutal NHL personnel poll he took; 19 out of 20 people polled viewed the hire, per Simmons, as a "sham" that pegged Chayka as a "con artist," "liar," and "salesman.
" Pelley's response didn't do much in dissuading the widespread concerns over Chayka's hire. Steve Simmons goes at Keith Pelley for hiring John Chayka. This was something.
pic. twitter. com/zSw8768sCQ ā World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) May 4, 2026 Well, Maple Leafs fans, we're sorry.