TORONTO — John Chayka has been accused of several things since he came on the scene as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lazy is not one of them.
On Wednesday, Chaika rolled up his sleeves and made two deals (with God, Nick Robertson and Dennis Hildeby) and five signed up before your dad even lit up the old Weber. Not to mention all the phone calls surrounding a potential Zach Werenski blockbuster and a potential Morgan Rielly trade, two difficult moves that still remain in play. (Werenski and Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell have released statements about their renewed commitments but do not consider the matter closed.)
The biggest deal is future Hall of Fame goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for three years and $21 million as Toronto reunites the 2024 Stanley Cup-winning tandem north of the border and protects Anthony Stolarz from injury.
“The resume speaks for itself. Perhaps in the end he will be the best in this position of all time,” Chaika explained of his great success. “To be able to secure such a player for this team that is looking to break through, we feel it was the right player at the right time.
“He expects to win. I think it says a lot about the organization, it says a lot about the owner and it says a lot about the leadership of the players. He really believes in these guys, which is great.”
The Florida Panthers refused to meet Bobrovsky’s demands for money and deadline, moving on Tuesday to the younger and cheaper Jacob Markstrom ($6 million AAV).
Of course, goaltender Bob’s many connections to the Leafs – ex-Panthers Stolarz, Steven Lorenz and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as well as chief goalie scout Curtis McElhinney – will help in the transition. And after three consecutive trips to the Cup final, a long summer of rest and training should serve the veteran well.
Chaika hopes his work habits, determination and championship experience will rub off.
“If we are going to the seventh game,” Chaika wondered, “is there another goalkeeper in the world whom we would like to see in our goal?
“No, we would prefer Sergei Bobrovsky.”
But there is, of course, a risk here.
Bobrovsky’s numbers plummeted as the Panthers missed the playoffs; His .877 save percentage and minus-23 goals saved above expected were career lows.
Chayka is counting on Bobrovsky’s remarkable durability (nine 50-plus starter seasons) and playoff experience to be balanced by Stolarz’s return. Load management will be key for both veterans.
If injury affects the crease, the organization can rely on prospect Artur Akhtyamov, who is looking forward to a Calder Cup win and AHL playoff MVP and is still on a two-way contract through the 2026-27 season.
But not standout prospect Dennis Hildeby, who became expendable with the arrival of Akhtyamov and the Bobrovsky deal.
After posting a show-best .914 save percentage in 20 appearances last season, Hildeby was given a third-round pick (2028) and a fourth-round pick (2028) and was sent to Tampa Bay for 31-year-old forward Nick Paul ($3.15 million in 2028-29), who has scored 22 goals twice after a down year.
Paul is a Mississauga, Ontario native who has regularly saved some of his best performances at Scotiabank Arena. He is also one of four new Seagulls players capable of playing at centre, a position much needed after everyone went to bed last night.
“Of course, now, thanks to the core of the team, we feel much better in our position in the center of defense,” Chaika said. “We were pushing for everything. And Nick was a guy that we honestly weren’t sure would be available. I thought it was a good hockey trade.”
Versatile middle-six player Jack Roslovic (two years at $4 million each) and centers Colton Sissons (two years at $4.25 million) and Teddy Blueger (two years at $2.5 million) were taken off the open market.
All of these deep forwards were brought in to add speed to the group and eat up some defensive zone starts and penalty kill minutes, which would theoretically free up the lines of Matthews and John Tavares to spend more time in the O zone.
Aside from spending money on power-play quarterback Darren Raddysh, Chayka has been careful not to hand over power to any of his rookies.
He didn’t overpay for depth, allowing more attractive middle-six players like Scott Laughton, Mason Marchment and Boone Jenner to sign bigger money, longer deals elsewhere.
Make no mistake: Toronto’s plan is to aggressively build the most competitive and balanced team in hockey for the next two seasons.
To make it faster and more mobile on the server side. Deeper in the front.
It just so happens that two seasons is the term written into captain Auston Matthews’ current contract. Not to mention Werenski and, dare we say it, Connor McDavid and their clubs.
At the moment, the picture for Toronto’s collection is becoming clearer in the summer of 2028, which promises to be colossal.
However, in the near future, the workaholic Chaika will leave his fingerprints all over the team, on the bench and in the front office.
It’s impressive how dramatically different the Maple Leafs felt on July 1 compared to May 4, the day Chayka was hired.
“Of course, a player of Sergei Bobrovsky’s caliber sends a signal that we are serious about moving this team forward,” Chaika said. “Everything from him to deep transfers that bring us a lot of different elements and allow our players to be positioned in different positions where they can bring their talents to the best, that’s the whole picture.
“If you look at the big picture, we are a much more dynamic team today than we were 24 hours ago.”
Whether this group will become a viable threat in the hotly contested Atlantic Division remains to be seen. But at least training camp will be fresh, interesting and hopeful.
• The saga of Toronto’s Nick Robertson has finally come to an end. The steadily improving winger was sent as a fourth-round pick to Pittsburgh, where he is reunited with Kyle Dubas, the executive who selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. And he teams up with his childhood idol, Sidney Crosby.
A smart bet here for Dubas, who last season also cheaply bought Columbus forward Yegor Chinakhov, once offered in a change of scenery for Robertson.
Chinakov scored 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games for the Penguins. Dubas hopes for a similar breakthrough.
Will the acquisition of 24-year-old Nick, who has career highs in goals (16), assists (16), points (28) and games played (78), entice brother Jason from Dallas to join the Pens?
As for Toronto, Robertson is now showing poor asset management and disappointing results after seven years of development.
Despite his desire to re-sign in Toronto, pending RFA Matias Maccelli was not retained at his high qualifying price of $4.1 million. This retention price killed the playmaker’s value in trade talks.
An unrestricted free agent, Maccelli agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the New York Islanders. Much smarter.
• Nick Kypreos has an interesting note about Oilers coach and Mike Babcock disciple DJ Smith, who became the first NHL assistant to earn a $1 million salary.
Toronto’s Jim Hiller also wanted Smith on his team. Sort of like a bidding war.
“DJ and I spent a lot of time together,” Hillier smiled last week. “We talked about it a little bit, but there are always different things that come into play. But he and I will remain good friends.”
Kypreos wonders if Paul Coffey could make the move to Toronto with defense coach Mike Van Ryn not welcome on Hiller’s bench.
• Some minor business in Toronto.
Restricted free agents Emile Andre, Jacob Quillan, Ryan Tverberg and William Villeneuve need contracts this summer. With all the new veterans, the Marlies will have a hard time breaking into the lineup.
• We don’t believe that Chaika made made. But if the season started today, Toronto’s roster might look something like this:
McKenna – Matthews – Roslovic
Knies – Tavares – Nylander
Paul – Sissons – Cowan
Joshua – Blueger – Duhem
Rilly – Raddysh
McCabe – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – Stecher