Toronto Maple Leafs dismiss nearly a dozen front-office staff including assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser

The Toronto Maple Leafs dismissed assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser on Thursday as part of a broader front-office overhaul led by new general manager John Chayka. ESPN reported that Chayka also fired assistant general manager Darryl Metcalf, head of amateur scouting Mark Leach, and several key analytics employees, totaling nearly a dozen departures.

Wickenheiser had joined the organization in 2018 in the player development department before becoming assistant general manager in 2022.

She is a Hockey Hall of Famer and celebrated Olympian. Leach had overseen the selection of Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in last month's NHL draft. Chayka said in a statement that the decisions followed an ongoing evaluation of the organization.

"As part of our ongoing evaluation of the organization, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with some valued colleagues," he said. "These decisions were not easy and are not a reflection of the commitment of the impacted people. " Wickenheiser confirmed her departure in a social media post.

"For the past eight seasons, it has been an incredible honor to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs," she wrote. "Over the last few days, John Chayka and I had several discussions about my role moving forward. During those conversations, my expectation was that I would be in a position to continue to have a significant impact within the organization.