Simmons connects Maple Leafs and Coyotes ties, critiques Oilers decisions, and weighs what management choices could mean for contenders.
Simmons zeroes in on a hockey truth that is hard to argue with: teams are built by people, and sometimes by relationships you can’t see from the outside.
The thread starts with how Tie Domi ended up as a kind of king-maker within Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, even if he is not the typical insider voice.. In Misryoum’s telling, Domi’s connections run deeper than hockey boardrooms, helped by long ties with Darcy Tucker and, more importantly, a friendship with Darryl Sundin that dates back to their Toronto days together.. Their time together spanned 11 seasons, with Domi often described as Sundin’s protector, on and off the ice.
Meanwhile, a parallel friendship with Alex Chayka is presented as the reason those doors may have opened as well.. Misryoum highlights that Domi had been a Chayka supporter for years, stretching back to the London Knights era involving Domi’s son, Max, and that long familiarity later fed into Chayka’s path to becoming a general manager in Arizona.. The story also notes how Max Domi has worn Sundin’s number, tying the personal to the professional in a way that feels oddly symmetrical.
It’s a reminder that front offices are not just spreadsheets and scouting reports, but also networks of trust, familiarity, and time.
Simmons then pivots to the playoff picture, where the failures feel especially sharp because the league’s best individual stars did not translate into early survival.. The argument is blunt: great players do not automatically win, and that gap shows up when teams get exposed in the opening round.. Connor McDavid is framed as the clearest example of excellence that still left a question mark hanging over Edmonton’s push.
From there, Misryoum points to decisions made during the season, including the Oilers’ choice not to bring Connor Brown back.. The criticism centers on penalty killing, with the Ducks series used as the example of how badly things can wobble when a key specialist is missing.. The piece contrasts that with how strong Edmonton’s penalty kill looked during the deeper run two seasons ago.
In this context, the Oilers debate becomes more than a single personnel call. It turns into a wider look at whether management choices around roles and reliability were strong enough for the postseason, when small weaknesses become obvious.
On the other side of the league, Misryoum draws attention to Bill Guerin and what it means when a general manager’s identity shows up in the style of play.. The Wild are described as playing with fire, skill, and tenacity, and Simmons credits Guerin for a string of major moments that helped define the year, including a high-impact trade and team success on the international stage.
Simmons also raises a series of “what if” scenarios for teams like the Maple Leafs and the Penguins.. For Toronto, the idea is that management choices should not wait too long, and that a proven winner like Jon Cooper might have been worth testing if the circumstances aligned.. For Pittsburgh, the focus is on Kyle Dubas’ outcomes and the unusual dynamic of relying on veteran stars, while questioning what the next step looks like for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang as contracts and motivation get clearer.
Finally, the big takeaway in Misryoum’s framing is that the league’s biggest questions tend to be human ones: motivation, fit, and the timing of decisions, not just raw talent.