Sports
Leafs in chaos mode, plus Wemby’s playoff takeover moment
The Pulse Newsletter 
Good morning. Win life’s lottery today. Inside:
Pucks: A shocking GM hire and a twist of fate
The Maple Leafs didn’t make the ongoing Stanley Cup Playoffs. But for two vastly different reasons, they were hockey’s biggest story this week.
John Chayka was 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 treated the franchise’s all-time best player poorly. He resigned from the Coyotes (who have since moved to Utah) in 2020, and the NHL later suspended him for holding unsanctioned workouts for prospects while he was in Phoenix.
Chayka appeared to be persona non grata. Now 36, he hasn’t worked for an NHL team in six years. Until this week, anyway, when the biggest brand in hockey made him GM. The Leafs hired Chayka to the utter shock of most of the hockey world, including reporters who covered him in Arizona. “I thought he might be blackballed,” one of them told The Athletic’s James Mirtle. A painful Monday news conference yielded mostly boilerplate answers from the team’s ownership group.
“That 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,” writes Leafs beat reporter Jonas Siegel.
Now, the chaser: The day after introducing Chayka, the Leafs won the draft lottery, giving them the right to (probably) take prized Penn State winger Gavin McKenna in June. Remember when the Mavericks traded Luka Dončić, 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.
The Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup title since 1967. They’re nonetheless a $4 billion property with fans who will never stop showing up for them. Coming off a terrible season, they have two years to convince captain Auston Matthews not to leave in free agency. They’ll be responsible for developing one of the sport’s best prospects in years. And the guy running the show (with team legend Mats Sundin as a senior adviser) has questionable qualifications.
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:
For fans who want a glass-half-full take, it’s that (a) he’s not an older retread hire who lacks creativity, (b) he did do some interesting things in Arizona, trade and contract-wise, and (c) it’s possible he’s learned from his mistakes. But he’s got a ton to prove — and he has to do it in the market with the biggest spotlight with a lot of people around the league rooting against him.
Thanks to James. It might work. It’ll definitely be dramatic. 
News to Know
Peak playoff Wemby
Victor Wembanyama is so talented that it’s easy to get ahead of yourself about what he could be someday. But last night … wasn’t like that. Wembanyama was everything — 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. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss called it “the defining performance of his career.”
Hot, hot heat
Per MLB, starting pitchers had thrown three pitches over 103 mph since Statcast began tracking in 2008 — until yesterday, when second-year Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski threw 10 of them against 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’s a far cry from Aroldis Chapman’s relievers-inclusive record of 105.8 mph, but Misiorowski threw 41 pitches over 100 mph before leaving after six innings with a 5-0 lead. Let’s hope he ices liberally.
More News
- The WNBA’s first Canadian team lost its inaugural season opener, but the Toronto Tempo atmosphere was a win.
- Rory McIlroy said it “says something” about potential LIV refugees if they choose not to play on the PGA Tour. (No, he didn’t mention Bryson DeChambeau by name.)
- Thankfully the NFL won’t need replacement refs this season. Read about the deal here.
- Breece Hall will become the league’s third-highest-paid running back under a 3-year extension with the Jets.
- In a surprise, Dodgers starter Blake Snell will skip his final scheduled rehab start and go today against the Braves.
- Projected lottery pick Darryn Peterson says his weird cramping issues at Kansas were caused by high doses of creatine. He’s No. 4 on John Hollinger’s top 15.
- The Blackhawks could get an intriguing addition next season in KHL top goal scorer Roman Kantserov, who terminated his overseas contract.
- Former Ohio University football coach Brian Smith is suing over his December for-cause firing that included allegations he had a romantic relationship with an undergrad. Full story here.
Watch Guide
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’s three). A surprising draw at Everton was a significant but not necessarily fatal setback.
1 p.m. ET on ABC
Each of the W’s 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 our season-opening power rankings.
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
The Lakers, down 0-2, were mad about the refs after the last game. They have substantially bigger problems as they come home with their backs against the wall.
Get tickets to games like this here.
Pulse Picks
Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Leon Halip / Getty Images
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Test your knowledge of this week’s sports news with our quiz.
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As a follow-up to the WNBA preview here yesterday, our experts have a pressing question for all 15 teams.
This sheet-pan grilled cheese method yielded the most uniformly crispy sandwiches I’ve ever made (gift link!). — Torrey Hart
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Why Kentucky Derby winners keep skipping the Preakness.
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