Toronto Maple Leafs' Newest Front Office Hire Suggests Possible Trade with the Hurricanes

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made plenty of changes in recent times, but heading into the 2025/26 season, they're still confident that they can be a Stanley Cup contender this year.

At this point, it's tough to see just how good they'll be given the logjam of forwards on this roster, but with so much talent up front, this is never a team to take lightly throughout the regular season.

Now, the team have made a very intriguing signing, as they have officially announced Mikael Kotkaniemi, the father of Hurricanes star Jepseri as a European scout ahead of next season.

Unsurprisingly, the elder Kotkaniemi was thrilled about his new role, posting about the move on Linkedin as he looks to become a key piece of the Maple Leafs scouting department.

Unsurprisingly, this move has led to some speculation that the team could target Kotkaniemi in a deal at some point, and with the team needing centre depth, it's certainly a fit that would make sense.

Ultimately though, it doesn't have to mean that, as a father can work in an organization and not make a move to land his son, and with little influence in North America, Mikael likely isn't pushing for a deal, but it's one to keep a close eye on moving forward regardless.