Keith Pelley had one chance to address fan concerns about the Chayka hire and his statement ignored every one

On Sunday it was announced officially that the Toronto Maple Leafs were hiring both Mats Sundin and John Chayka to their front office, with Sundin as a senior advisor and Chayka as GM and Head of Hockey Operations.

It was a hiring that makes sense in one aspect; that being a culture shock but it also comes with a lot more questions than answers, especially with how Chayka exited the league previously and if he's really fit to lead an NHL team let alone the most profitable and recognizable.

Well those questions were surely going to be answered by Keith Pelley right? He was so adamant about hiring a data-driven guy and was clearly swayed by whatever Chayka said in his interviews.

In this case, it feels like Pelley is trying to sweep all previous negativity under the rug:

If one didn't know any better, you'd think Pelley used his trusted AI assets to make that statement because frankly it says a whole lot of nothing. Pelley mentioned their roles with absolutely no declaration of what they are or where the power lies, and the statement on building a winner from the start is...odd to say the least.

The entire process was a who's who of names and a bunch of speculation. While adding Sundin is great for the culture, he's had no front office experience. Chayka, when brought up, instantly made people weary and cautious about his fit; and considering who was available it seems rushed.

Scott White, Evan Gold, Ryan Martin, Mike Futa, Mike Gillis — five names who are infinitely more experienced and prepared to lead a team like Toronto. White is Jim Nill 2.0, Gold just torched you for a decade with Boston, Futa and Gillis are both veteran legends with decades of experience under their belt, and Martin is a new GM waiting in the wings.

You hired Brad Treliving; a guy who arguably may be one of the worst GMs of all time, to run your team into the ground, spending a year on his hands doing nothing and then got fired. Is that going to happen to Chayka? If Toronto sits in the basement again — how long is the leash?

Monday's presser is going to be filled with questions directly aimed at Pelley to explain himself and if he doesn't, then he is in for a world of backlash.

Chayka's trade history is subpar, his drafting has been mediocre, and he left the NHL under some pretty intense circumstances while also costing his team future assets. How Pelley is going to Matrix-dodge his way out is going to be some real mental flexibility.

The new GM has to come forward and be transparent. Admit his faults from before, regardless of whether his youth played a factor or not and set the record straight. If Pelley isn't going to explain things, then you may as well have Chayka.

Fans aren't exactly happy with his statement either:

Anything less than complete honesty on Monday is going to make the fan distrust even stronger and it might not even matter if Sundin and Chayka make good moves because the negative sentiment is already deeply engrained within the fanbase.

Keith Pelley is very good at making things sound better than they are, so for his sake let's hope it doesn't blow up in his face — and choosing corporate drivel over honest communication will be his ultimate undoing.

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John Chayka's first order of business is a meeting with Craig Berube that decides everything