The Toronto Maple Leafs were seen as the NHL’s biggest letdown in 2025/26, with the team going from a consistent presence in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the eventual No. 1 overall pick, and as a result, the team are hoping to bounce back next season.
That potential bounce back will no doubt be helped by the arrival of Gavin McKenna along with several veterans in free agency, and with all of the changes this team have made in the past six weeks, they will look very, very different when the 2026/27 NHL season officially begins. While most of the focus has been on the roster, things have changed behind the scenes as well, and now a former Assistant General Manager has departed the team for a familiar face, with the front office changes now complete under new GM John Chayka.
Brandon Pridham Joins Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh
GettyPittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
Three years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired General Manager Kyle Dubas after failing to reach their Stanley Cup goals, and almost immediately, the young GM signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the same role.
In the three seasons since, the Penguins have restocked their prospect cupboard while returning to the post-season in 2025/26, and to nobodies surprise, several members of the Maple Leafs front office joined Dubas in Pittsburgh when the opportunity presented itself. Now, another has defected to the Penguins, with Elliotte Friedman announcing that former Maple Leafs Assistant GM Brandon Pridham has officially joined the Penguins front office ahead of the new season as a Hockey Operations Consultant.
He will handle the contract, cap management and planning responsibilities formerly held by Vukie Mpofu, who recently departed for Nashville. Pridham will also mentor junior
According to Friedman, Pridham will not only serve as a mentor to the younger members of the Penguins front office, but he will handle contracts, salary cap management and planning responsibilities, making him one of the most important pieces of the Penguins front office moving forward.
Maple Leafs Complete Front Office Transition
Pridham was a member of the Maple Leafs front office for a 12-year tenure, with Toronto mutually agreeing to part ways with him to end this tenure in mid-May, but after surviving several General Manager changes, he departed following the Leafs latest change.
That hiring brought in the controversial John Chayka as Maple Leafs GM, with many critical of Toronto’s new decision to replace Brad Treliving, and following that, they made plenty of changes, including behind the bench, as Jim Hiller was named as the teams newest Head Coach. While Toronto haven’t had Stanley Cup success over the past two decades, they built a roster that’s been a consistent playoff threat with the help of Pridham, and his departure is a loss that Toronto will feel.
The Maple Leafs move is Pittsburgh’s gain however, and with Kyle Dubas needing someone in the role following the departure of Vukie Mpofu, Pridham made sense as a hire for several reasons, and now, he’ll look to help the Penguins to consistent regular season success that Toronto saw throughout his 12 years as a member of the front office.
Former Maple Leafs Assistant GM Departs for the Penguins