Leafs fire Wickenheiser amid front office purge

Kristen ShiltonJul 9, 2026, 05:15 PM ET

Close

Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

Assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser, one of the most decorated women's players of all time, was one of several executives fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in a gutting of the front office staff.

The Hockey Hall of Famer and celebrated Olympian had been in the position since 2022 after originally coming on board with Toronto's player development department in 2018.

Word began leaking out Thursday morning that new general manager John Chayka had fired nearly a dozen employees, and Wickenheiser confirmed she was a casualty in her own social media post.

"For the past eight seasons, it has been an incredible honor to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs," Wickenheiser wrote. "Over the last few days, John Chayka and I had several discussions about my role moving forward. During those conversations, my expectation was that I would be in a position to continue to have a significant impact within the organization. However, it became clear that his leadership group envisioned a different path."

Others out of a job in Thursday's surprising sweep include several key analytics employees, assistant general manager Darryl Metcalf and head of amateur scouting Mark Leach, who just guided Toronto through the selection of Gavin McKenna with the first pick in last month's NHL draft.

"As part of our ongoing evaluation of the organization, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with some valued colleagues," Chayka said in a statement. "These decisions were not easy and are not a reflection of the commitment of the impacted people. We are sincerely grateful for everything they have contributed to this organization and wish them nothing but the very best in the future."