Before the game against Nashville, Mats Sundin and John Chayka joined Brad May and Ryan Leslie to discuss the Maple Leafs’ early-season progress, building the team’s identity, their working relationship in the front office, Auston Matthews’ leadership, and Chris Tanev’s importance to the team.
With all the changes you’ve implemented in Toronto, what have you seen, and what excites you this early in the season after three games?
Chayka: Bringing a lot of new faces together, what excites me is a lot of great people. Obviously, the Toronto Maple Leafs is a unique challenge, and it’s going to take special people to take on that challenge.
Mats knows the market. He’s been a captain in it, and he knows what it’s like to be in that locker room and feel the pressures, and to try to get together with all the guys and work through that process and that journey of becoming a team. That’s the fun part of this journey.
Obviously, the results on the ice are what we’re focused on, but what we’re working on every day is that process of building a team. Together with Mats, it’s been really fun so far.
Mats, what are your early observations? In your conversations with the team and with John, what are you noticing and liking? What stands out?
Sundin: John mentioned it. We’re barely three weeks into seeing this team play, and usually, training camps are longer. Only two exhibition games for all the players.
Like John said, not only do we have a lot of players who are really good hockey players in all positions, but also, with the new additions, we have a lot of good character people who understand it’s a long season, a long regular season, and hopefully, a long spring, and to stay level-headed on that.
There’s a lot of focus on just trying to improve and get better. I thought we saw a lot of good signs in the last game.
With so many new faces, are you starting to see an identity through camp and the early games, or do you have an identity in mind?
Chayka: Like Mats said, we want to make sure we represent the Toronto Maple Leafs the way we expect it to be. There are high standards around here. Ownership has obviously invested a tremendous amount of resources.
I think it’s important that the fans feel like there’s a locker room that is as passionate about the Toronto Maple Leafs as they are. That doesn’t happen overnight. That’s the process of trying to really learn to love the journey of it.
At some point, this group is pushing and pushing, and they get so focused on that end goal. That’s the same end goal we all have, but at some point, just enjoying what it takes to get there, too: the ups, the downs, the struggles, the small wins and victories, being in the gym, being in practice, and being with the guys.
It’s all been a bit of a building process. As this group gets together, they can form their own identity as well. When you get a team that believes in themselves and the locker room is tight, that goes a long way, especially as you get into the springtime and you’re ramping up for playoffs. That’s our hope and expectation.
After a short training camp, you’re about to embark on a road trip. What is the benefit of going on the road early in the season with a new team? Why is it different from being at home?
Sundin: Most players have family and kids. It’s an everyday [routine] once they leave practice when you’re home.
We had 12 new faces in the lineup the other day. Once you have that many new players who don’t really know each other that well and have been spending three weeks together, you talk about identity. This is the time you get a chance to spend more days together, just with the boys.
The coaches get to be with them a little more on an everyday basis and at night. It is important when you want to create those bonds. Players have a big role in terms of deciding what kind of team we are going to be, how we’re going to play, and how the opponents are going to look upon us when we play them.
Mats, you’re regarded as one of the best captains, certainly in Toronto, but also league-wide. When you were going on a road trip as captain of the Maple Leafs, what would you do? What made you so special, and what can you impart to these players?
Sundin: I don’t see it only as whoever wears the letters on a team. Anyone who has been in the league gets to the point where you’ve been around long enough and know what creates energy and trust in a group.
That is up to not only our players who wear the letters, but also our veteran players who understand. They all know the fundamentals of the game and what it takes to win, but also, great hockey teams create bonds that will take them through adversity and tough times during the season. All teams will go through it over an 84-game schedule.
Once you’re on the road, you have a great opportunity to build on that.
John, looking back at growing up in the Niagara region and playing here and in the Maritimes, when did you know hockey was where you wanted to be, in any role?
Chayka: It’s like any Canadian kid growing up. You’re in the backyard playing with your friends. That’s where you fall in love with it.
My dad had two streetlights in the backyard, and you’d flip them on and go play for hours. For me, it was just a way of life and a part of our life. It brought our family together and our community together. You just grow up in it.
You’re always fortunate if you can do what you love for a career. That’s my background.
Mats, when did you know? Who got you into it?
Sundin: It was so long ago, haha.
I’ll tell you one thing: I’ve known John from before and have been able to work with him since May. Not only is he a brilliant young man, but he really has a passion for the Toronto Maple Leafs. We talk about culture and creating a good environment, not only for players on the ice, but also management. He’s really driving that.
John, that must feel good to hear, especially with your love of the organization growing up, to hear that from Mats.
Chayka: That’s why he’s the man who doesn’t even need a title, because he’s Mats Sundin.
What kind of player were you?
Chayka: A skilled, playmaking centreman.
We looked for footage and found some, but was it shot from a Motorola flip phone? How would you describe your game? Did you have a little bite?
Chayka: No bite. Playmaker. I think I had 70 or 80 assists that year. I liked to make plays and watched Mats growing up, so I tried to steal stuff from him.
You’ve been working together since May, coming from different backgrounds and bringing different opinions and insights. How has the relationship grown, and how do you work together and bounce ideas off each other?
Sundin: It’s been really good for me. I watch John, obviously, with experience from the business side of hockey. Everything comes down to value at the end of the day, and trust. We share those common grounds. I come with experience from 18 years playing in the league, being the captain, and 13 years with Toronto. I think that’s a really good combination.
We’re early into our relationship. We covered a lot of ground this summer, but right now, we’re starting—like you asked, what’s the identity of the team?—to understand all these new players and people in a lot of different roles, not only on the ice. It’s been a really interesting journey for me so far.
Chayka: I would just add that the biggest thing in any partnership is having alignment of a mission. The greatest part for me is that Mats is obviously so passionate about coming back to Toronto and giving everything he’s got to try to achieve the ultimate goal in this city.
Every time I talk to him, or anytime he gives me advice or counsel on anything we’re thinking about, just to know that’s the north star, that’s how he’s thinking, and that’s what he’s doing every night and every day — for me, that means a lot. Then we just have great, honest conversations about what’s best for the Toronto Maple Leafs. You’d assume that’s the case with everyone, but it’s not always the case, I’ve found. To have someone who has that alignment and that same vision creates that common bond.
Is John Chayka a different man after your first go-around in Phoenix and the years in between?
Chayka: Yeah. Even just being in that situation with obviously fewer resources, and we’re growing the game—much different factors than the Toronto Maple Leafs, of course. But to hone your skills, learn some things, and try some creative solutions that we can then adopt or change, or, “That didn’t work. Let’s try something different.” You’re always looking to grow and learn.
I got married in Arizona and had three kids, all in Arizona. Throughout all that, you become different, no doubt about it.
What is your relationship with Auston Matthews like? His teammates talk about what a captain he is and what he brings. What is your dialogue with him like, given his feel for the men inside that locker room?
Chayka: From my side, I knew Auston as a young kid growing up in Arizona. He always struck me as a quiet leader in his own right and a great young man with good values and a good family. You saw that immediately.
I’ve got to say, I probably didn’t fully appreciate the type of leader he is now, just being on the inside and seeing him day to day. Those little conversations he has with guys in the depths of the roster or with staff, how he brings people together—it’s almost a bit of a magnetic pull that he has. To see that day to day is pretty special and pretty unique.
Mats and Auston have good conversations. I’m sure they have them at another level that none of us can comprehend who haven’t been captains of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s all good value for the club.
Sundin: What I’ve seen, I agree with John. Sometimes it’s easy, especially in a market like Toronto, to forget how much he’s given already as a player. I think he’s the leading scorer over the last nine or 10 years in the league. He’s put up crazy numbers in terms of his production on the ice. From everything we’ve seen so far, watching him and beating my goal record last year, he’s humble, like John said.
If you look at all the greatest leaders in the league, they lead by example. He’s certainly doing that for our group.
What kind of player is Chris Tanev? He’s another quieter player in the locker room who does so much for his teammates. He went through a lot last year, and he’s come back and continues to put the work boots on, night in and night out.
Chayka: He’s always been one of my favourites, actually. It’s hard to measure defensive value, but it’s huge. It’s just as valuable as offensive value. What he does for a team every night is probably not totally understood or appreciated by a casual fan, and that’s fine. They’re here to watch the big highlights. But what he means to winning is incredible.
For me, the type of person he is and the type of player he is, you can’t replace that. Him coming back is a huge, huge win for our D corps and our whole team. It makes our goaltending better, our defense better, and we play more in the offensive zone when he’s on the ice as a result. He’s a full 200-foot impact player.
Mats, does he remind you of anybody? He’s kind of a throwback.
Sundin: Maybe Yushkevich, if I think of someone I played with in that era, really blocking shots, doing everything he can, and playing with a big heart.
He’s been around a long time, too. He’s got a voice. Just his work ethic and the way he plays are really important for our team and for the rest of the guys.
