On this week’s episode of the Sticks in the 6ix podcast, it was discussed that there was one domino left to fall for the Toronto Maple Leafs to officially bring in Sunny Mehta to interview for their vacant front office job. On Thursday, that domino reportedly fell as the Florida Panthers granted the Maple Leafs permission to speak to their current assistant general manager, according to Pierre LeBrun.
However, the Maple Leafs weren’t the only team granted permission as the New Jersey Devils were reportedly granted the same permissions after firing their general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
Mehta Took Unusual Route to NHL Front Office
That said, the Maple Leafs have long been linked to the former professional poker player, who – along with strategy books and advanced analytics – made his way into the NHL and quickly climbed the ladder in front offices like the Panthers organization.
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Mehta was first brought in by the Devils in 2014 as a member of the first full NHL advanced analytics department in league history. From there, he joined Bill Zito in Florida where he was hired as their Vice President of Hockey Strategy and Intelligence in 2020. He was promoted in 2023 to assistant general manager and head of analytics with the Panthers and helped the team to two straight Stanley Cups and three straight final appearances from 2023 to 2025.
Mehta’s Link to the Maple Leafs Deeper With Agency Hire
This week, the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and Keith Pelley hired Neil Glasberg and his agency to help in the search for a general manager, following the firing of Brad Treliving. The organization hasn’t indicated yet if they will or will not hire a president of hockey operations, hinting that it could be a possibility.
What makes this an interesting hire is that Mehta is also a client of Glasberg’s agency adding smoke to an already burning fire in Toronto. Now, with the Maple Leafs getting permission to talk with Mehta, speculation has amplified around the possibility of the Maple Leafs adding Mehta to their payroll in the near future with nothing concrete as of yet.
As for Mehta, he’s one of a long list of names that have surfaced in the Maple Leafs search for new members of their front office, including, Mike Gillis, Chris Pronger and John Chayka – along with current members of their front office in Shane Doan and Hayley Wickenheiser.
Another name to add to that list is Ron Francis, who on Wednesday stepped away from his role as President with the Seattle Kraken.
