The Maple Leafs are one step closer to making Sunny Mehta their next GM
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been granted the right to speak to Floria Panthers assistant GM Sunny Mehta for the Leafs vacant GM job.
The Florida Panthers have granted Toronto the chance to speak with Sunny Mehta for the Leafs GM opening to replace Brad Treliving.
According to Pierre LeBrun in 'The Athletic', both the Leafs and New Jersey Devils were given permission to speak with Mehta.
New Jersey let go of GM Tom Fitzgerald on Monday, and according to LeBrun, has eyed in on Mehta as an option alongside Toronto, both looking to court the 48-year-old.
The Sunny Mehta interview and why the Maple Leafs are targeting a champion
The Toronto Maple Leafs could get one of the top analytics minds in the NHL, a shift that the Leafs parent company, MLSE, is looking to add as the replacement to the old-school Brad Treliving.
Mehta comes from the two-time cup winning Florida Panthers, having been the data man for the team in their success, finding key bargain options such as Gustav Forsling and Anthony Stolarz.
Mehta isn't the only Panthers AGM on the market, as noted by Pierre LeBrun as well, fellow assistant Brett Peterson was named as a recent candidate for the Nashville Predators GM opening.
The Devils job may be too much for Mehta, a boyhood Devils fan who grew up in New Jersey and worked in the organization previously, to pass up. This could take Toronto out of the running unless there's some real money on the table.
Why stealing from the Florida Panthers is the best move for the new Maple Leafs GM
The NHL is slowly moving away from old-school management into a more analytical front office, and the Leafs, having helped foster the trend when they hired Kyle Dubas, are clearly looking not to fall behind.
Mehta is one of the top minds in hockey, and has the know-how of the management side of the game to go along with his data-driven analysis.
Taking the job in Toronto would mean for Sunny Mehta passing up on what may seem like a dream job for him, so the Leafs need to prove they're the best choice.
This means giving Mehta free rein in the organization, and a full commitment to bolstering the analytics team, already one of the league's tops.
Money will also play a factor, forcing MLSE to pay up for one of the league's top GM candidates. If they're as committed to analytics as they say, they may have to pay well above what other teams are offering.
Not only is Sunny Mehta an intelligent hockey brain, but he comes from a proven winner having learned how to construct an NHL winning roster.
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