Hayley Wickenheiser explains why she left the Toronto Maple Leafs
New Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka continues to clean house when it comes to his assistant GMs.
This week, Chayka let go of the two assistant general managers who were in place before he was hired, Darryl Metcalf and Hayley Wickenheiser, now completely reshaping the Maple Leafs front office.
Wickenheiser addressed the departure in an Instagram post, saying that, based on her discussions with Chayka, she believed she would continue to have a significant role within the organization.
"Over the last few days, John Chayka and I have had several discussions about my role moving forward. However, it became clear that his leadership group envisioned a different path," Wickenheiser's post reads.
Wickenheiser was hired by former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas as assistant director of player development ahead of the 2018-19 season, then promoted to assistant general manager role, in charge of player development, in 2022.
"For the past eight seasons, it has been an incredible honour to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have been immensely proud of the work our player development team has accomplished.
"I want to sincerely thank the incredibly talented individuals, coaches, management, and players whom I have been fortunate enough to work alongside over the last eight years," Wickenheiser wrote.
The 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee did not say what's next for her, but she said she's looking forward to whatever her next opportunity brings.
Wickenheiser was among the 11 Toronto Maple Leafs executives dismissed on Wednesday, per Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan, meaning Chayka has now parted ways with every assistant general manager from last season except Ryan Hardy.
Though Hardy might still have a job, given that he recently helped the Toronto Marlies win an AHL title.
John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images
