The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Sunday that assistant general manager Brandon Pridham and the organization have mutually agreed to part ways, as reported by the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons. The club also confirmed that player personnel assistant GM Derek Clancey is departing after a three-year tenure.
Changes in Cap Management and Player Personnel
Cap and depth chart management, crucial for any NHL team aiming to return to the playoffs, will now be handled by new personnel in Toronto. Incoming general manager John Chayka issued a news release confirming the departures, noting that Pridham, who had been with the Leafs since 2014, played a key role in keeping the club salary-cap compliant during a volatile era of NHL changes.
Pridham was originally hired by former president Brendan Shanahan from the NHL's Central Registry office, bringing expertise in scouting, contracts, the amateur draft, and CBA issues. He, along with Shanahan and then-young AGM Kyle Dubas, ran the Leafs temporarily before Lou Lamoriello took over as GM. Despite speculation that Pridham would follow Dubas to Pittsburgh after Dubas was fired as Leafs GM a few years ago, he remained in Toronto to assist Brad Treliving. Pridham also served as co-interim GM after Treliving was let go and until Chayka's arrival this month.
Pridham's Next Move Unknown
Pridham's future plans are not yet clear, but the Greater Toronto Area native will be occupied in the coming days watching his son Jack, a 6-foot-2 right wing for the Kitchener Rangers and a third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, compete in the Memorial Cup. Among Pridham's biggest challenges were fitting in supporting pieces around the mega-contracts of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner, which pushed the Leafs to the cap limit when the ceiling flattened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clancey's Departure
Derek Clancey was a Treliving appointee from a similar role with the Vancouver Canucks and previously worked as a pro scout for the Calgary Flames when Treliving was GM there. Clancey made his name in Pittsburgh, where his 14 years in the Penguins' hockey operations contributed to three Stanley Cup championships.
Chayka expressed gratitude for both departing executives. "Brandon has played an integral role in the organization over the past 12 seasons," Chayka said. "We are sincerely appreciative of Brandon's professionalism, commitment, and dedication to the Leafs throughout his tenure. Derek also brought valuable experience and insight to our hockey operations department during his time with the club. We thank both for their contributions and wish them and their families all the very best moving forward."
Future Front Office Structure
Attention now turns to whom Chayka will hire to replace Pridham and whether he will personally take over the player personnel file. Chayka has already dismissed special advisor Shane Doan (a role now filled by his right-hand man Mats Sundin), fired coach Craig Berube, and now cut ties with the assistant GMs. MLSE boss Keith Pelley had previously remarked that employing six assistant GMs might be unwieldy after Treliving's departure in March. Not counting Sundin, three assistant GMs remain: Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser (player development), Ryan Hardy (minor league operations, with the Marlies still in playoffs), and Darryl Metcalf (hockey research and development, a Chayka specialty).
