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The tenure of former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello as a senior adviser lasted exactly three weeks. The Hall-of-Famer will be joining or has joined the New York Islanders, according to
the Athletic’s Arthur Staple.
It is unknown whether New York (who have Lamoriello’s son Chris as part of their management team) will be replacing current GM Garth Snow with the 75-year-old, but the report indicates that he will be running the Islanders hockey operations either as Team President, GM or both.
Lamoriello indicated in a conference call last month after Brendan Shanahan announced that he would not be returning as Leafs GM that he intended to stay with Toronto in that capacity, but even before the decision, it was rumored that the veteran GM would be open to continuing his career in management elsewhere, as had occurred when New Jersey brought in Ray Shero to take over as GM and made him Team President three years ago.
While not a surprise, the announcement could have an effect on the Maple Leafs summer plans. According to
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Lamoriello made contact with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent center John Tavares last week.
That would be considered tampering had he been still in the employ of the Maple Leafs, but according to
Friedman, it is believed that Lamoriello was representing the Islanders when he spoke to Tavares.
Tavares is the gem of the 2018 summer free agent class and likely to listen to offers from other NHL clubs (including Toronto) just prior to July 1, but it is unknown how much effect the addition of Lamoriello to the Isles management team will have on the 27-year-old center.
Another possible ramification of Lamoriello’s departure is the status of Leafs Assistant GM Mark Hunter.
On last week’s
“31 Thoughts” Podcast, Friedman mentioned the possibility of Hunter following Lamoriello to Brooklyn based on his not being happy that the Leafs chose Kyle Dubas as their next GM and the fact that the Islanders are in need of a good talent evaluator, but any move of that nature may not happen until after the NHL Draft next month in Dallas, because of his intimate knowledge of the prospect pool and Toronto’s plans.
With the departure of Lamoriello, it increases the probability that Dubas may be open to bringing in some experience to the front office. There continues to be speculation that former Carolina Hurricanes GM and Team President Ron Francis may be someone that Dubas would like to add, but it is unknown whether the ex-Leaf wants to jump in with another team after being axed by Canes new owner Thomas Dundon last month.
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