Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) is trimming 80 jobs across its operations, axing both filled and open roles in a major company shakeup. The cuts slice roughly 10% of the sports and entertainment titan’s full-time workforce, which hovers just shy of 1,000.
In a Tuesday morning memo to employees, partially shared with The Canadian Press, MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley labeled it “a gut-wrenching day.” Pelley, who stepped into the top job last April, said he was charged with sizing up the company to thrive amid today’s choppy business waters and fuel future expansion.
“We’ve spent months dissecting every corner of MLSE’s operations,” the memo read. “The takeaway? We need to sharpen our efficiency to maximize what we’ve got. That meant a hard look at our setup and workflows to lock in sustainability and growth. Today, we’re acting on that, cutting full-time salaried positions—some vacant, some not.”
MLSE’s empire spans the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC, CFL’s Argonauts, and AHL’s Marlies. A company spokesperson framed the overhaul as a bid to “tackle inefficiencies and fine-tune resources for a shifting landscape,” adding, “Our drive to be a global sports and entertainment leader hasn’t budged, nor has our gratitude for the staff hit by this.”
The restructuring follows Rogers’ September move to snag Bell’s 37.5% stake in MLSE for $4.7 billion, boosting its ownership to 75%. Chairman Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports Inc. holds the remaining 25%. Last summer, pension fund OMERS nabbed a 5% indirect piece via a US$400-million stake in Kilmer.
The timing stings extra: Toronto FC is sidelining its star, Lorenzo Insigne—whose US$15.4-million paycheck trailed only Lionel Messi’s in MLS last year—hoping he’ll exit. Insigne sat out TFC’s first two matches. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, rolled out Tuesday, add pressure. Like other Canadian NHL outfits, MLSE collects revenue in Canadian dollars but pays players in U.S. currency, a gap now squeezed by the trade spat.