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While Kyle Dubas awaits a decision from free agent center John Tavares, the Toronto Maple Leafs GM has started the expected changeover in the advisory and scouting staff from those brought in by Lou Lamoriello and Mark Hunter to his people.
Advisors Jacques Lemaire and Jacques Caron and scouts Evgeny Namestnikov, Tommy Albelin and Nikolai Ladygin are no longer with the organization. Lemaire won a Stanley Cup with Lamoriello in New Jersey in 1995 and worked as an assistant to Mike Babcock for Team Canada. The Leafs announced that former director of amateur scouting Dave Morrison has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel. Former Leaf Troy Bodie has been promoted to Director of Pro Scouting and Wes Clark has been hired as Assistant Director of Player Personnel.
Clark was hired by Dubas when he was GM in Sault Ste. Marie and was brought in when he moved to the Leafs in 2014, but took a position with the Florida Panthers in 2016.
More changes in the scouting area may be in the offing, where Hunter loyalists Lindsay Hofford and Jim Paliafito might choose to follow him if he joins another NHL team after his non-compete agreement with the Leafs expires in mid-July.
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The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins are among the teams that have expressed interest.
Tyler Bozak is the Plan B for many of the teams who lose out on the bidding for John Tavares and Paul Stastny and is getting many inquiries. The Philadelphia Flyers are rumored to be one of the teams interested in adding depth up the middle, but the concern on the open market is the term on the 32-year-old’s new deal.
If the Leafs fail to attract Tavares to Toronto, it is likely that Dubas will circle back to see what it would take to bring Bozak back.
Pagnotta also indicated that the Rangers and Leo Komarov are in talks about a multi-year deal. It was thought that the feisty winger had the best chance of any of the free agents to return to Toronto, but only on a one-year deal. Listen to some good hockey talk about the Leafs summer plans from the Puck Talks event in Toronto on Wednesday:
Puck Talks Fest June 27 - Panel 1: Kristen Shilton, Kein McGran, Mike Augello https://t.co/jpoYXSzZnb via @Audioboom
— Puck Talks (@PuckTalksLive) June 28, 2018
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Hayley Wickenheiser was invited to be a guest coach at the Maple Leafs development camp and the four-time Olympic Gold medal winner indicated that she has had conversations with Leafs GM Kyle Dubas about a future role with the club.
The great Hayley Wickenheiser talking to the media in between periods at the #Leafs Blue and White scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/WUesPJwpsv
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) June 28, 2018
“I’ll continue to have a conversation with Kyle(Dubas) as to what they might be interested in after this.… Wickenheiser said. “We’ve talked a few times, and if there is a role for me here, that’s great moving forward. I’d be interested to see what happens and stay in hockey.…
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