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The New Jersey Devils’ decision to trade Sunny Mehta out from under the Toronto Maple Leafs is looking like pure highway robbery, as the Leafs selected John Chayka as their new general manager on Monday.

Mehta was the leading candidate for the GM position in Toronto before the Devils promptly fired Tom Fitzgerald and hired his successor just 10 days later.

A smart move by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) forced Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) to pivot, hiring Chayka as their 19th GM in history and Matt Sundin as senior executive advisor of hockey operations.

The initial announcement shocked the hockey world.

Chayka – a man who hasn’t worked in the NHL since he was suspended by Gary Bettman five years ago to pursue new opportunities around the league despite having three years remaining on his contract – comes in with a controversial background.

Ironically, he was in talks with the same ownership group that hired Mehta over interest in Chayka in 2021.

It is safe to say that it was a learning experience for HBSE.

Chayka’s appointment is being heavily criticized in Toronto. One claim says the Maple Leafs are not acting like a serious hockey team.

This conclusion was reached because the Maple Leafs are heading into one of the most important offseasons in their franchise history – similar to the Devils – and can only come to terms with a manager who has been absent from an NHL front office for the past five years, and a fan favorite without front office experience.

Again allegations are coming from Toronto media

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun told Keith Pelley, “I’ve been in contact with about 20 people who work in the NHL, many of whom are major names we’ll all know.” “One of them supported and the other 19 thought it was a sham. Words like fraudster, liar and salesman were used.”

Pelé could only respond to that claim with “talking to different people”, while pointing to an overall process.

Suffice it to say, the Maple Leafs’ new direction is a surprise.

Granted, there were reports that the Devils were also interested in Chayka, but sources indicated the interest did not amount to anything more than that, and was derived from Chayka’s past history with HBSE.

Thus, it’s Chayka’s turn in Toronto, who hasn’t had much to do in his first managerial stint with the Arizona Coyotes. And it certainly feels like the Sundin hire is partly to help win over the doubters with the nostalgia that comes with being a Hall-of-Famer.

While the devils went in a different direction. Of course, it’s true that Mehta is a good fit because he was previously in the Devils organization.

However, Mehta’s resume – which landed him the Devils GM position – has earned HBSE a universally A-grade in terms of recruiting.

He helped build the Devils’ hockey analytics department, exposed Jesper Bratt in the 2016 NHL Draft, moved to the Washington Capitals — and also helped build their analytics department before being employed by the Florida Panthers and helping them win two Stanley Cups.

Certainly, Chayka – CEO of JKC Capital, a family-run business that reportedly owns 50 Wendy’s franchises and five Tim Hortons franchises in Ontario and Quebec – has plenty of runway to prove us all wrong.

However, as it stands, the Devils appear to be the adults in the room with home run fare, while the Maple Leafs fanned the flames in Toronto despite their intentions to stop the burning.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

A new direction is coming for the New Jersey Devils and there are a few reasons that have gotten us here.

Tom Fitzgerald is out as general manager, however, his identity has been established. Fitzgerald has been with the New Jersey organization for the past 10 years, serving as general manager for the past six. They have made some bold moves such as acquiring Timo Meier and signing Dougie Hamilton as the first premiership free agent in several seasons. They’ve also made surprising mistakes, like trading Tyler Toffoli, who was a perfect fit at the time, and perhaps extending Johnathan Kovacevic a little earlier than anticipated.

However, in the 2025–26 season alone, several mistakes were made by the now former Devils GM, which ultimately led to the decision to fire him, and he started at the beginning of the year.

Jacob Markstrom Extension

Acquiring Jacob Markstrom was one thing. Fitzgerald gave up a first-round pick for an aging goaltender, but he at least came in with the makings of a legitimate starting goaltender. However, at age 35 and amid a long stretch of questionable games, Markstrom’s desire to extend was puzzling. Markstrom’s history suggests inconsistency. When he’s good, he’s great. And when he’s bad, it can be really questionable. That has often been the case in 2025-26, and entering the age 36 season, it’s hard to see how it will get any better. Fitzgerald had the entire season to evaluate what he was going to do with Markstrom, but instead he went into a new extension that hasn’t even started yet, while Markstrom hasn’t trusted anyone.

dougie hamilton debacle

Hamilton’s situation was handled poorly. News leaked that the Devils were shopping out the veteran defenseman, then benched him for “performance reasons”, only to see his agent call out Fitzgerald to try to force him to accept a trade. He then denied this notion, and later denied it when asked about it, despite knowing that Hamilton had canceled a trade or two.

quinn hughes is missing

Certainly, learning that Hamilton canceled a trade despite his improved play caused some tension. And that’s because the Devils were on Quinn Hughes, and couldn’t hold on to him. Not seeing his franchise brother’s face when he was available for trade was a huge mistake that could have turned the season 180°. Instead, he lost to a more aggressive GM who was willing to take big swings, show too much patience, and ultimately create an environment of uncertainty for players who felt they could be on the chopping block at any time.

too much business protection

Fitzgerald rejected another claim that the amount of business protection it provided hindered its ability to grow. However, as we know Hamilton did, the deals were voided due to the trade protections he offered, and the Devils GM himself was handcuffed. Thus, even when Jack Hughes was injured he could not make the necessary additions to improve the team.

Inactivity at trade deadline

The inactivity at the 2026 NHL trade deadline was perhaps the final straw. The Devils had pieces they could move this summer to improve their arsenal of possessions to take an even bigger swing. Instead, Fitzgerald stood quietly and did nothing. He also mentioned having the opportunity to explore the Hamilton business, and stated that this was something he was not interested in doing. In fact, their acquisition of Nick Bjugstad becomes even more intriguing in the weeks leading up to the deadline, with it appearing that there is a foot on each side of the fence as either a buyer or a seller. After all, the direction was unclear.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

The Los Angeles Lakers escaped with a 105-104 win against the Orlando Magic, courtesy of Luke Kennard’s game-winning 3-point shot. But the game could cost them as they travel to face the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Luka Doncic committed his 16th technical foul of the season, triggering an automatic suspension unless it is overturned, something Lakers head coach JJ Redick is hoping will happen.

After the Lakers’ win against the Magic, Redick revealed what caused Doncic’s technical foul and why the team plans to appeal it with the league.

“We’ll obviously try to cancel it out,” Redick said during his postgame press conference. “There were some things that were said in reference to Luca’s mother in a language that the referee could not understand.”

Doncic also explained the situation, noting that Goga Bitadze crossed a line when he said he should have done better for his teammates.

“You know, I let my team down by getting that last one. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to do that,” Doncic said. “He said if we don’t do it, he’ll kill my whole family. And at some point, you know, it’s a basketball court. At some point, I can’t stand it anymore [by]I have to stand up for myself. But I know I have to do better. My teammates, I know they support me. So I disappointed them today.”

“He (Goga) said he would kill my entire family. And at some point, I can’t bear it. I have to stand up for myself.”

Luka Doncic speaks on what was said about his technical foul 😳

pic.twitter.com/9j8nhnZdjM https://t.co/XQM5QY8BbS

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 22 March 2026

If the technical foul is not cleared, the Lakers will be without their star as they take on the Eastern Conference leading team. Doncic’s interactions with referees have been a topic of discussion throughout the season. According to the NBA rulebook, Doncic will be suspended for every two technicals picked up after 16. The Lakers have 12 regular season games remaining.

Once the playoffs begin, the technical foul count is reset, but the suspension trigger is set to seven.

Doncic’s condition has deteriorated amid technical problems. He has propelled himself right into the middle of the MVP race with the Lakers holding the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Their win against the Magic was their ninth consecutive, and they extended their lead over the No. 4 seed Houston Rockets to three games.

Doncic finished with 33 points, giving him the NBA’s longest active streak of scoring 30 or more points in consecutive games.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Doncic had appeared in 58 games at a rate of just over 35 minutes per game. He averaged a league-leading 33.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 47.7 percent shooting from the field, 37 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

He also led the NBA in shot attempts at 22.5, 3-point shots at 4.0, 3-point shots at 10.8 and free throw attempts at 10.4.

As the Lakers now head to Detroit, they will wait to see if the NBA will take action after what was revealed about how the entire situation erupted.