The search for a new Toronto Maple Leafs decision-maker is underway, and a winning pedigree looks to be a key factor.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Florida Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta is expected to be among the Maple Leafs' targets to step into the vacant GM job.
"One name I do think is gonna be part of Toronto's search — and he's been kind of discussed this week — is Sunny Mehta, one of the assistant general managers of the Florida Panthers. I do think he's gonna be a factor," Friedman said in the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
Mehta, a 47-year-old from Grand Rapids, Mich., is an early proponent of advanced analytics in hockey. He began his front-office career with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2010, then was hired by the New Jersey Devils in 2014 as the team's director of hockey analytics — the first full-time department of its kind in the NHL.
He was hired by the Panthers in 2020 to serve as the team's vice president of hockey strategy and intelligence before being promoted to assistant GM and head of analytics in 2023.
Since his promotion, the Panthers have gone on to win two Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025.
Prior to dipping his toes into the hockey world, Mehta was a professional poker player and co-authored two books about the game.
The decision to hone in on Mehta comes after MLSE president Keith Pelley said the team would look for a "data-centric" general manager following the firing of Brad Treliving earlier in the week.
Friedman also mentioned that while several names have been thrown out for the Maple Leafs job, someone like St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong may not be in the cards for the time being.
"It just doesn't seem like the timing is right for the Blues and the Maple Leafs for Doug Armstrong," Friedman said. "Anything can change... But it just doesn't seem like the timing is right for Doug Armstrong and the Maple Leafs."
4:39