Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Chris Pronger interviewed for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ president of hockey operations role, he confirmed on TSN 1050’s OverDrive on Monday.
Pronger, 51, was one of a number of people that MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelly and the search firm headed up by Neil Glasberg spoke to before the team hired John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as senior executive advisor of hockey operations.
.@chrispronger on his Maple Leafs interview details, the Golden Knights' success and the Canadiens' journey#LeafsForever https://t.co/jCajdPB437
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) May 25, 2026
“I met with Glasberg and Pelly for a couple of hours,” said Pronger. “I just had a good, frank conversation about the team, about the direction, and my thoughts on what they needed both in the front office and on the ice with respect to the players.
“I got good feedback on my conversation with them, but they were going in a different direction.”
Pronger was interviewing for a job to head up a Maple Leafs team that finished last in the Atlantic Division with a 32-36-14 record and landed the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.
The team had previously made the playoffs for nine straight seasons, but only managed to advance to the second round twice during that span.
He previously stated that he did not interview for the Maple Leafs’ general manager role when talking to TSN 1050’s First Up on April 22.
“There’s a lot of rumours out there. I’m in the media like you guys. I’m interested to see how this all plays out too,” he said. “There’s some vicious rumours out there that said I interviewed for the GM job. I did not interview for that role.”
Pronger is working in the hockey media right now and recently released a book on his playing career. He did say that he is open to listening to new opportunities but it has to be the right situation in order for him to take it on.
“I’m excited for this next chapter. As I’ve said numerous times, I’m open to having a conversation and seeing what an opportunity might look like,” Pronger said in April. “Whether it’s a fit for me, whether it’s a fit for the other side. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t, sometimes the timing is not right and sometimes the opportunity doesn’t fit what you’re looking for at any given time.”
Pronger scored 157 goals and tallied 541 assists over 1,167 career games in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers.
The 6-foot-6, left-shot defenceman won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 and captured Olympic gold with Team Canada in 2002 and 2010. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
