{"id":659985,"date":"2026-05-09T14:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/659985\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T14:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:51:13","slug":"leafs-in-chaos-mode-plus-wembys-playoff-takeover-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/659985\/","title":{"rendered":"Leafs in chaos mode, plus Wemby\u2019s playoff takeover moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning. Win life\u2019s lottery today. Inside:<\/p>\n

Pucks: A shocking GM hire and a twist of fate<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs didn\u2019t make the ongoing Stanley Cup Playoffs. But for two vastly different reasons, they were hockey\u2019s biggest story this week.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Chayka\u00a0was once the youngest general manager in major professional sports, a 26-year-old hired to run the Arizona Coyotes in 2016. It did not go well: Chayka was a rocky manager who reportedly\u00a0treated the franchise\u2019s all-time best player poorly<\/a>. He resigned from the Coyotes (who have since moved to Utah) in 2020, and the NHL\u00a0later suspended him<\/a>\u00a0for holding unsanctioned workouts for prospects while he was in Phoenix.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chayka appeared to be persona non grata.\u00a0Now 36, he hasn\u2019t worked for an NHL team in six years. Until this week, anyway, when the biggest brand in hockey made him GM.\u00a0The Leafs hired Chayka to the utter shock of most of the hockey world, including reporters who covered him in Arizona. \u201cI thought he might be blackballed,\u201d one of them\u00a0told\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0James Mirtle<\/a>. A painful Monday news conference yielded mostly boilerplate answers from the team\u2019s ownership group.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat this was the best (ownership) could do for a jewel of an NHL franchise, with a loyal and passionate fan base desperate to see a Stanley Cup victory for the first time in six decades, really is hard to believe,\u201d\u00a0writes Leafs beat reporter Jonas Siegel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, the chaser:\u00a0The day after introducing Chayka,\u00a0the Leafs won the draft lottery<\/a>,\u00a0giving them the right to (probably) take prized Penn State winger Gavin McKenna in June. Remember when the Mavericks traded Luka Don\u010di\u0107, drew the scorn of the entire sports world and then won the lottery to land Cooper Flagg? This stroke of luck has echoes of that one.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Leafs haven\u2019t won a Stanley Cup title since 1967. They\u2019re nonetheless\u00a0a $4 billion property<\/a>\u00a0with fans who will never stop showing up for them. Coming off a terrible season, they have two years to convince captain Auston Matthews\u00a0not to leave in free agency<\/a>. They\u2019ll be responsible for developing one of the sport\u2019s\u00a0best prospects in years<\/a>. And the guy running the show (with team legend Mats Sundin as a senior adviser) has questionable qualifications.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is there a better way to spin the Chayka hire? I asked Mirtle, who knows more about the machinations of the Maple Leafs than just about any person alive:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac\u00a0I think skepticism makes the most sense here, simply because of how poorly Chayka\u2019s first tenure as a GM went and the fact he\u2019s been out of the league for six years. There just aren\u2019t many execs in NHL history who have been suspended for a calendar year for \u201cconduct detrimental to the league and game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

For fans who want a glass-half-full take, it\u2019s that (a) he\u2019s not an older retread hire who lacks creativity, (b) he did do some interesting things in Arizona, trade and contract-wise, and (c) it\u2019s possible he\u2019s learned from his mistakes. But he\u2019s got a ton to prove \u2014 and he has to do it in the market with the biggest spotlight with a lot of people around the league rooting against him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thanks to James. It might work. It\u2019ll definitely be dramatic. \ud83c\udf7f<\/p>\n

News to Know\"\"Peak playoff Wemby<\/p>\n

Victor Wembanyama is so talented that it\u2019s easy to get ahead of yourself about what he\u00a0could be\u00a0someday. But last night \u2026 wasn\u2019t like that. Wembanyama was\u00a0everything\u00a0\u2014 calm, fluid and devastating, finishing with 39 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in carrying the Spurs to a 2-1 series lead. Anthony Edwards put in a heroic shift for the Wolves on a balky knee, but you wonder how anyone can stop this version of Wemby.\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Jared Weiss called it \u201cthe defining performance of his career<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hot, hot heat<\/p>\n

Per MLB, starting pitchers had thrown three pitches over 103 mph since Statcast began tracking in 2008 \u2014 until yesterday, when second-year Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski threw 10 of them\u00a0against the Yankees. Among those were the seven fastest pitches by a starter in the tracking era, topping out with a 103.6 mph heater to Aaron Judge. That\u2019s a far cry from Aroldis Chapman\u2019s relievers-inclusive record of 105.8 mph, but Misiorowski threw\u00a041 pitches over 100 mph before leaving after six innings with a 5-0 lead. Let\u2019s hope he ices liberally.<\/p>\n

More News
\nThe\u00a0WNBA\u2019s first Canadian team lost its inaugural season opener, but the\u00a0Toronto Tempo\u00a0atmosphere<\/a> was a win.
\nRory McIlroy\u00a0said it \u201csays something<\/a>\u201d about potential\u00a0LIV\u00a0refugees if they choose not to play on the\u00a0PGA Tour. (No, he didn\u2019t mention\u00a0Bryson DeChambeau\u00a0by name.)
\nThankfully the\u00a0NFL\u00a0won\u2019t need replacement refs this season.\u00a0Read about the deal here<\/a>.
\nBreece Hall\u00a0will become the league\u2019s third-highest-paid running back under a\u00a03-year extension<\/a>\u00a0with the\u00a0Jets.
\nIn a surprise,\u00a0Dodgers starter Blake Snell\u00a0will skip his final scheduled rehab start and\u00a0go today<\/a> against the Braves.
\nProjected lottery pick\u00a0Darryn Peterson\u00a0says his weird cramping issues at\u00a0Kansas\u00a0were caused by\u00a0high doses of creatine<\/a>. He\u2019s No. 4 on\u00a0John Hollinger\u2019s top 15<\/a>.
\nThe\u00a0Blackhawks\u00a0could get an intriguing addition next season in KHL top goal scorer\u00a0Roman Kantserov, who\u00a0terminated his overseas contract<\/a>.
\nFormer\u00a0Ohio University football coach Brian Smith\u00a0is suing over his December for-cause firing that included allegations he had a romantic relationship with an undergrad.\u00a0Full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0EPL: Manchester City vs. Brentford
12:30 p.m. ET on NBC
City are five points back of Arsenal but with a match in hand (four to go, compared to Arsenal\u2019s three). A surprising draw at Everton was\u00a0a significant but not necessarily fatal setback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0WNBA: Wings at Fever
1 p.m. ET on ABC
Each of the W\u2019s last four No. 1 picks will play in this season opener: Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers for Dallas, and Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston for Indiana. Stacked with stars. Both teams are in the top five of\u00a0our season-opening power rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0NBA: Thunder at Lakers, Game 3
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
The Lakers, down 0-2, were mad about the refs after the last game.\u00a0They have substantially bigger problems<\/a>\u00a0as they come home with their backs against the wall.<\/p>\n

Get tickets to games like this here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

\n Illustration: Dan Goldfarb \/ The Athletic; Leon Halip \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Baseball is stacked with players who have quirky rituals, from Taco Bell to golden thongs. Science suggests\u00a0they\u2019re actually doing something smart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This show has been out for a little while now, but I\u2019m currently enjoying\u00a0\u201cRooster\u201d on HBO Max<\/a>. It\u2019s not the most brilliant show ever, but it\u2019s got Steve Carell and Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt from \u201cTed Lasso\u201d) and is quite feel-good and funny. \u2014 Hannah Vanbiber<\/p>\n

Test your knowledge of this week\u2019s sports news with\u00a0our quiz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The New York subway system. As someone visiting here for a couple weeks, it\u2019s been a delight to get around like this when I\u2019m so used to always being in a car at home. Shoutout to tunnels! \u2014 Zach Harper<\/p>\n

Keith Law\u2019s first 2026 MLB mock draft is here.\u00a0Remember these names<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s May and your kid needs a baseball net you can pitch to, hit into, and hold up. And cheap!\u00a0This one is a winner so far<\/a>. Even if it melts down by end of summer it\u2019s doing the job. And super mobile. \u2014 Chris Sprow<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a lifelong runner with a cabinet full of miscellaneous recovery gear. So I was cautiously skeptical about testing\u00a0this newfangled gizmo<\/a>: a motorized cylinder that appears to combine a foam roller, a handheld rolling stick and a massage gun. I spent a month pulverizing my muscles with the thing to see if it\u2019s any better than a regular old foam roller. \u2014\u00a0Alexander Aciman<\/p>\n

As a follow-up to the WNBA preview here yesterday, our experts have\u00a0a pressing question for all 15 teams<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0sheet-pan grilled cheese method<\/a>\u00a0yielded the most uniformly crispy sandwiches I\u2019ve ever made (gift link!). \u2014 Torrey Hart<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Why Kentucky Derby winners\u00a0keep skipping the Preakness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-659985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}