The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full throttle. The Draft Lottery is in the books. There’s no shortage of reports on who’s getting hired, fired, or traded. And there’s much, much more. So, let’s dig in.

For starters, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a mess. But you already knew that. They were one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference this year. But, hey, last week they won the Draft Lottery, meaning that they hold the number one overall pick in The NHL Entry Draft at the end of June. 

By all accounts, Gavin McKenna is the consensus number one pick. So, unless Toronto and new GM John Chayka go off the board – wouldn’t that just be the most Maple Leafs thing to do – McKenna will be joining Auston Matthews in donning the Maple Leaf on the front of his jersey.

Or will he?

There’s been a lot of speculation that Matthews could ask out of Toronto this offseason if he doesn’t like what he hears from the team’s new management group of GM Chayka, Senior Executive Advisor Mats Sundin and CEO Keith Pelley. 

Our best guess is that Matthews, who has two years left on his contract, stays put, for now, taking a wait-and-see approach to his future. 

Oh, one last piece of Maple Leafs news. It was reported on Monday that Toronto mutually parted ways with Shane Doan, who had been involved with the Maple Leafs’ Front Office for a couple of years. So, yeah, there’s that, whatever that is. 

Getting back to the conversation on disgruntled superstars, the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid is clearly unhappy with his team’s first-round exit and how they have clearly gotten worse over the last couple of seasons. He, too, is under contract for just two more years and oh, by the way, he shares an agent with Matthews. 

While there’s absolutely nothing imminent on this front, McDavid’s frustration with Edmonton’s management is going to be something that bears watching at this time next year. We don’t believe he would demand a trade, but he could make it clear to the Oilers that he plans on leaving at the end of his deal. Either way, the soap opera in Edmonton is one to keep an eye on. 

Sticking in Western Canada, can the Vancouver Canucks do anything right? 

Vancouver is currently looking for a new GM. That search has been going on for a while now. The end is supposedly in sight, but how much power will the new GM even have? Current Team President Jim Rutherford recently announced he is stepping down and transitioning to an advisory role, but not until after The Draft. Oh and supposedly, the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, are going to have much larger roles in the Front Office, according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman. 

So, let’s get this straight. The new GM, whoever it ends up being, won’t have the final say during The Draft and is reportedly going to have the Sedin twins be very involved in the team’s Front Office. That sure doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. 

Staying in the realm of Front Office moves, on Monday, the New Jersey Devils announced that Braden Birch was joining the organization as an Assistant General Manager. The move had been speculated about for a few weeks and seems like a good one. 

It’s clear that new GM Sunny Mehta is taking his time and moving methodically, rather than quickly or impulsively. Kate Madigan and Martin Brodeur still remain in their prominent positions, as does Head Coach Sheldon Keefe. So, it appears that Mehta is taking the Mathieu Darche route regarding already existing executives and coaches. He’s likely to see how things play out with everyone and then, around this time next year, he’ll either move on or remain committed to them. 

Moving on from Front Office news, the NYS Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Induction ceremony is July 12th, just two months away. Among the prominent members of this year’s class are: Josh Bailey, Neil Smith, Don Stevens, Don Maloney, Ken Morrow, Steve Levy, Nick Fotiu, Jim Johnson, and Steve Janaszak. 

It’s always an interesting event, and this year’s ceremony is shaping up to be a great one. 

In other feel-good news, New York Islanders’ rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer and the Islanders’ Children’s Foundation announced they are partnering with Northwell Health to create the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center, named after Matthew’s late mother. Kudos to him and the organization for this partnership. 

It’s one more feather in his cap for a year that is almost certainly going to see him be announced as the 2025-26 Calder Trophy winner when The NHL announces the award winner at the end of June.