After selecting 10 players in the 2026 NHL Draft, Maple Leafs GM John Chayka discussed the team’s priorities in this draft class, selecting goalies back-to-back, his anticipated plans for free agency, the Brandon Carlo and Samuel Ersson trades, and the report that assistant coach Mike Van Ryn will not return behind the bench.
You ended up with a big draft class with good variety in it.
Chayka: Yeah, four defensemen, back-to-back goalies, and a few forwards mixed in there. Whenever you are making decisions like this that will take time, there will be ups and downs, and some players will exceed expectations while others will miss. We ended up with 10 picks, so that was important to us.
How much recognition was there that you had a cupboard that wasn’t overly brimming, and you had to get back to filling it up?
Chayka: Any time you take a job, there are always pros and cons to the situation. In this situation, there are some elite players, and those are the hardest things to get.
My job as the manager is to balance the short-term and the long-term. Today, we did some things that we certainly feel helped us in the long term. They’re long-term bets, and they will take time.
Simultaneously, we are trying to do some things in the short term to put the best team on the ice we possibly can next season for the fans.
Were there traits you were emphasizing in some of the defensemen, in particular, such as skating?
Chayka: I think the team, overall, has been really focused on smart, competitive players who can move the puck, play with the puck, possess the puck, skate, forecheck, and make a play, with quick decisions. Guys who make a play and join the rush instead of always leading the rush. Definitely, there is an emphasis on puck-moving and mobility.
When it comes to goalies and the “best player available” philosophy, is the goalie the best player available, or does someone say, “We should get a goalie or two in this draft”?
Chayka: It is a good question. For us, it is an important position, obviously, and it is a high-variance position. You have to place your bets.
Curtis McElhinney oversees that, and I thought he was pretty judicious in how he laid out the draft and where he thought the opportunities were, with where the board fell and how he valued the goaltending this year.
We went back-to-back. That is pretty unique. It wasn’t how we kind of wrote it up, but when you have these rigid rules… Some teams I’ve been around have said, “You take a goalie every year,” or, “I’m not going to take a goalie at this stage or that stage.” I think you want to have flexibility.
Certainly, you have principles, and you know the odds, but at the same time, every pick is unique. Having some flexibility in how you approach things matters. I think that is what we did.
How active do you expect to be on Wednesday with the opening of free agency?
Chayka: I think we are going to try to make the team better. That is an avenue for us. Today, we created more flexibility, even, with the move.
It is a balance of these things. We are going to be disciplined and do things that help us and help the team in the short and long term.
I think Darren Raddysh was an example of that. We certainly felt that the pick was worth it to secure the player and not get into some bidding war.
There are some players we like. There are some needs we have. We will be aggressive, but we will also make sure we are not doing anything to hurt the future.
Is there a priority? If you enter Wednesday and say, “This is what I want specifically,” what is it?
Chayka: It is depth, for the most part. There are a few holes we have, but we are going to be really focused on the depth early and see if we can round out the roster.
Again, there are some bigger swings we’ll take and look at some things, but ultimately, it is a two-sided marketplace. There are some smart agents out there who are trying to maximize the value for their players as well. We are going to be disciplined in the marketplace and make sure we do our best to make the team the best possible.
Would you anticipate another Raddysh-like sign-and-trade before the deadline?
Chayka: I don’t think so. We’ve looked at a lot of things, but as they stand here today, I think that is unlikely.
Would you like to add another goalie?
Chayka: We have this really interesting goalie pipeline. Part of our evaluation is the young guys and what they’ve shown. We are trying to balance that.
Anthony Stolarz has been, by our models, a top goalie over the last two years. Obviously, health and durability has been the question. But we can’t guarantee that it will be different with another goalie we bring in. That is always a bit of a question mark.
We are trying to find some balance in all of that, but it is a key position. If there is a chance to make it better, like any position, we will do that. But that is where we are today.
Among your RFAs — Nick Robertson, Jacob Quillan, Matias Maccelli, and Emil Andrea — will you qualify all four?
Chayka: We just got through the draft today, so no decisions have been made. There are some good players in there, and certainly, retaining their rights is important.
You traded Samuel Ersson away after acquiring his rights in the deal with Philadelphia. Was that about wanting to give your own goalies a chance, or was it just not a fit?
Chayka: Yeah, just asset management. He was part of the transaction. To harvest another asset from that transaction made a lot of sense for us.
We talked to his camp about what it looked like, what the fit would be, and what the contract could be. Ultimately, I think we just felt it was better to acquire the asset.
Do you see some of the Marlies, beyond Easton Cowan, getting a chance to prove they can be a part of the solution?
Chayka: That is the question we are trying to answer as well. We think there are players who have shown they have a right to be in the NHL. They earned it. We are trying to create some flexibility.
Today was an example of that. There will be an open competition. We want flexibility throughout our lineup. We want guys to come into camp and compete for spots. Who rises to that (occasion) is ultimately up to them, but I certainly think, given the performances and what the guys were able to do, I am really impressed by it.
It has been reported that assistant coach Mike Van Ryn will not be back with the team. Is that true? Is there any news on the coaching staff?
Chayka: Jim (Hiller) is working through that right now. I think Mike Van Ryn is a good coach who has done a good job here for a while. It is possible he is with the organization in another role.
I will leave that to Jim in terms of his decisions on how to put his staff together. We collaborate on some things, but ultimately, it will be his decision.
The Maple Leafs’ 2026 Draft Selections
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| Round (Overall) | Player | Position | Ht/Wt | Country | Team/League | Profile |
| 1 (1st) | Gavin McKenna | LW | 5'11, 170 | Canada | Penn State (NCAA) | READ |
| 2 (60th) | Alex Bilecki | LHD | 6'2, 181 | Canada | Kitchener (OHL) | READ |
| 3 (69th) | Ethan MacKenzie | LHD | 6'1, 187 | Canada | Edmonton (WHL) | READ |
| 3 (73rd) | Zach Olsen | RW | 6'1, 2-3 | Canada | Saskatoon (WHL) | READ |
| 3 (76th) | Måns Gudmundsson | RHD | 6'3, 185 | Sweden | Farjestad BK (SHL) | READ |
| 3 (85th) | Juuso Ainasto | G | 6'4, 198 | Finland | Jokerit (SM-sarja) | READ |
| 4 (114th) | Patriks Plumins | G | 6'3, 216 | Latvia | Zemgale (Latvia) | READ |
| 5 (158th) | Cooper Williams | C | 6'1, 163 | Canada | Saskatoon (WHL) | READ |
| 6 (161st) | Yaroslav Fedoseyev | RHD | 6'1, 187 | Russia | Traktor (KHL) | READ |
| 6 (169th) | Brody Pepoy | W | 6'2, 181 | USA | Saginaw (OHL) | READ |
