Elliotte Friedman confirms the Toronto Maple Leafs are considering Mats Sundin for a bigger position at their front office

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be set for a major front-office transformation, as they are planning to rope in franchise icon Mats Sundin for a potential leadership role to revive the struggling organization. According to reports, Sundin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey center widely regarded as one of the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs players in history.

As per reports, he was the first European to be drafted first overall in the NHL (1989) and played 18 seasons, mainly for the Quebec Nordiques and Toronto. This move comes in response to MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley announcing that the Maple Leafs are entering a new phase focused on long-term success and cultural change.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reports the Toronto Maple Leafs are turning to Mats Sundin in a bid to restore their team’s pride

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman has recently reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs are turning to franchise legend Mats Sundin in an effort to restore the team's pride and guide the organization into a new era. The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to reconnect with their identity, and Mats Sundin could be central to that plan, according to NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman.

Speaking on the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman said the organization believes it lost something deeper than the results in the 2025-26 season. He noted that the team believes that “the pride in wearing the jersey had fallen,” and the team now wants someone who “would live and breathe that” at the top level.


Discussing about Sundin, the insider stated, “If you look at Sundin, it’s very clear he’s proud to be a Maple Leaf. He loves the team. He loves the organization. He’s come back several times and spoken up in defense of the players and just talked about how much of a privilege it is to wear that jersey and represent the organization.”

Friedman said on a recent edition of 32 Thoughts that Sundin may be considering a bigger position than initially expected, and once his decision is made, the club’s plans will become clearer. His theory suggests that rather than a limited advisory role, they’ll look for a vice president of hockey operations.

“We’ll get a full describing of how they got to Sundin and how they pitched him, but they pitched him on, and my theory is his title, should this happen, and they’re trying to make it happen, is he’s gonna be the vice president of hockey operations, that’s my theory.”

He further added, “We’ll see how it all works, but … I believe for some time now they were talking about a larger role than they were letting on, and I just had to figure out a way to prove it. That’s what I believe is going on right now.”

Friedman also added that currently negotiations are going on, and nothing has been clear, yet the direction seems clearer. Reports suggest that bringing Sundin into a leadership role could change the growth trajectory of the Maple Leafs, as his deep understanding of the franchise and its culture may prove valuable for Toronto.

However, latest reports suggest that the Maple Leafs are exploring a structure that would see Sundin as a vice-president of hockey operations role, while John Chayka could handle general manager duties.

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