Maple Leafs Fans Need to Give John Chayka a Fair Chance

It’s quite rare to see a move made by an NHL team that seemingly everybody agrees is a bad decision right off the bat. When that’s the case, it typically tells you a major mistake was made. The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in that exact position.

Earlier in the week, the Maple Leafs officially announced that John Chayka has been hired as their new general manager (GM). It was a move that didn’t surprise many, if anyone, simply for the fact that it had been rumoured to happen for well over a week. Just because it wasn’t surprising, however, doesn’t mean it’s a decision anybody is happy with.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, was shocked when Chayka’s name first surfaced as a potential GM candidate. The 36-year-old really hasn’t been heard from in the hockey world since resigning from his role as the GM of the Arizona Coyotes one day before the 2020 playoffs got underway. He hadn’t held any role in the NHL since, leaving most to believe his time in the NHL had come to an end.

There are plenty of concerns over this hire. Not only did Chayka resign from his past position right before the playoffs, but he also had a major scandal where he and the Coyotes organization were caught holding their own private scouting combines for upcoming prospects. On top of that, there have been several reports that he did not have a good reputation across the league, which has some concerned it may be more difficult for him to make transactions with other GMs. That said, the decision has been made, and for now there’s nothing anybody can do but sit back and see if it works out.

Chayka Does Bring Something New to the Organization

One positive about Chayka, at least for some, is that he is very analytically driven. Part of that is due to age, as he clearly sees the game in a different way than some other GMs across the league who are far older. While teams do now have an analytics group, it’s rare to see a GM use as heavy of an analytics approach as Chayka did during his time with the Arizona Coyotes.

One thing about Chayka is that he’s never been afraid to take a big swing. During the 2019-20 season, he was able to acquire Taylor Hall and Blake Speers from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, a conditional 2020 first-round pick, and a conditional 2021 third-round pick. Keep in mind, Hall was just two seasons removed from winning the Hart Trophy.

Taking big swings like that could wind up being essential for the Maple Leafs, as the future of the organization is up in the air right now. They got a huge bonus at the draft lottery by winning the first-overall pick, though questions surrounding the future of Auston Matthews, and to a lesser extent, William Nylander, remain. If Chayka feels one or both aren’t fully committed going forward, he may need to pull off a couple of massive trades aimed to improve the future of the organization.

What’s also important to note with Chayka is that when he was hired as the GM of the Coyotes, he was just 26 years old. That in itself could have rubbed other GMs wrong, as he never really paid his dues like most around the league have throughout their careers. It’s also very reasonable to think he still had some social skills to improve upon given just how young he was. Now 10 years older, he’s certainly grown as a person and undoubtedly learned some lessons from his time in Arizona. Now it’s up to him to prove this tenure will be better than his last.

No Sense Complaining About It

By no means is this meant to discredit or quiet Maple Leafs fans who are upset about this hire. It’s certainly a risky one given that there were other candidates available, though that doesn’t matter a whole lot anymore. The organization has made its choice, and no amount of noise from the fan base will change that. At this point, fans are better off taking a wait-and-see approach before continuing to criticize. After all, you never know. This could wind up being a hire that looks like a genius decision in the years to come.