The Toronto Maple Leafs have an important question to answer in the near future: Who will be their general manager?
After firing Brad Treliving two weeks ago, the Leafs hired an outside talent firm to help build their new front office. Whether that leads to the team hiring both a president of hockey operations and a new general manager remains to be seen. Regardless, finding a replacement for Treliving will become critical as the offseason nears, especially with the possibility of Toronto holding a top-five draft pick.
MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said the team's next GM must be "data-centric," which narrows down the list of potential candidates. Sunny Mehta, the assistant GM and head of analytics for the Florida Panthers, is the betting favorite to succeed Treliving on theScore Bet with -160 odds, an implied probability of 61.5%.
Leafs' next GM odds
| Candidate | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sunny Mehta | -160 |
| Kevyn Adams | +500 |
| Mike Gillis | +700 |
| Bill Scott | +1000 |
| Mark Hunter | +1000 |
| Brandon Pridham | +1200 |
| Chris Pronger | +1400 |
| Hayley Wickenheiser | +1600 |
| Rob Blake | +2000 |
| Doug Armstrong | +2500 |
| Jason Spezza | +2500 |
👉 Bet on who will be the Leafs' next GM with theScore here (market subject to availability)
Mehta checks the box for being "data-centric," and the Panthers already granted him permission to interview with the Leafs and the New Jersey Devils for their general manager vacancies.
The former professional poker player has a deep background in data science, which helped him land his first NHL role with the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2010-11 campaign. Mehta's been working for and consulting NHL and MLB front offices ever since. The Panthers hired him as vice president of hockey strategy and intelligence in 2020.
Kevyn Adams is the second favorite at +500. He's a former player who had a brief tenure with Toronto in the late 1990s. His only front-office experience is a stint as the Buffalo Sabres' general manager from 2020-25, a stretch in which he traded away notable players, such as Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. The Sabres failed to make the playoffs in each of their five full seasons with Adams as GM.
Chris Pronger is considered a candidate to one day become a team's president of hockey operations. In a recent interview with Sportsnet's Paul Grant, Pronger said he's "interested in having a conversation" with the Leafs' management about their openings. He also said that he would "take it to the studs" when asked about Toronto's needs around the trade deadline.
Jason Spezza is another an intriguing option. He spent time in Toronto's front office alongside former general manager Kyle Dubas, whom he followed to Pittsburgh after the Leafs cleaned house in 2023. However, Spezza has only worked in management for three years, and Toronto may opt for someone with more experience.
Whatever direction the Maple Leafs decide to go, it will likely impact the franchise for the next decade. Calling this a significant hire would be an understatement.
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