Report: Mats Sundin discussing role with Maple Leafs

Field Level Media|published: Fri 17th April, 12:32 2026

Nov 19, 2023; Stockholm, SWE; Mats Sundin during a Global Series NHL hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Minnesota Wild at Avicii Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Mats Sundin, the all-time leading scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is interviewing with the club for a job in the front office, The Athletic reported Friday.

Per the report, Sundin was in Toronto on Friday to talk with team owners "about a potential role in the new setup," with no specific job being mentioned as of now.

The Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on March 30, and they haven't had a president of hockey operations since Brendan Shanahan was fired in May 2025.

Sundin, 55, was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 and was traded to Toronto on June 28, 1994, in a multi-player, multi-draft pick deal.

He remained with the Maple Leafs through the 2007-08 season, then appeared in 41 games with the Vancouver Canucks the following season. He announced his retirement on Sept. 30, 2009.

In the ensuing years, he moved with his family to his native Sweden but has started to become more involved with the Maple Leafs. He was part of the Toronto contingent at the NHL's Global Series Games in Stockholm in November 2023.

"Toronto's management and coaches have taken me in, and it has been incredibly nice," Sundin said during that event, per The Athletic. "Toronto has meant so incredibly much to my career; I was there for 13 years and the captain. Toronto is my second home; we live in Stockholm, but when I come there, it's like coming home."

He is the franchise's leader in points (987), power-play goals (124) and game-winning goals (79). Auston Matthews overtook Sundin for the team leadership in goals this season with 428, eight more than Sundin.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Sundin finished with 1,349 points (564 goals, 785 assists) in 1,346 games.

Should Sundin rise to a position of power within the Maple Leafs, he would not be the first franchise legend to assume a decision-making role with a former team.

Steve Yzerman has done it with the Detroit Red Wings, and Matt Ryan (NFL), Buster Posey (MLB), and Joe Dumars, Danny Ainge and the late Jerry West (NBA) are among the players who have run their ex-teams, either now or in the past.

--Field Level Media