Report: Leafs to pony up $50 million to gain competitive advantage

It’s not exactly a secret that data mining, analytics and the creative use of technology have been at the forefront of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ rebuilding strategy. The moment that president Brendan Shanahan hired analytics wonder-kid Kyle Dubas out of the OHL, it was clear that the team was looking to go down that road. With Dubas now running the team as GM, however, it appears that the Leafs will double down on their commitment to analytics.

According to Vancouver Canucks insider Jason Botchford of TSN 1040 and The Athletic, the Leafs, who already have the largest analytics department in the NHL, are set to invest an additional $50 million on analytics in the future.

Check it out:  

That’s… that’s a lot of spreadsheets…

It makes sense though, if you think about it. The Leafs continue to make money hand over fist each season, but they’re limited as to how much they can invest in player salaries, due to the NHL’s salary cap. It makes perfect sense then for them to funnel money into other parts of the organization to improve their on-ice performance. This was the plan they used to lure Mike Babcock from his position with the Detroit Red Wings. So far, that investment has worked out in the Leafs’ favor. It’ll be interesting to see what, if any changes, this latest rumoured investment will have.