While the question of whether coach Mike Babcock will be leaving Detroit for Toronto should come this week, the answer of who will be the Leafs new GM is still up in the air.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Damien Cox indicated Saturday that the club’s short list includes former Washington GM George McPhee, Tampa Bay assistant GM Julien BriseBois, New York assistant GM Jeff Gorton and LA Kings VP of Hockey Operations Mike Futa, but a report earlier this week that a GM may not be in place until after the upcoming draft could mean that Futa is the man that Brendan Shanahan is willing to wait for. Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons indicated on TSN 1050 Radio on Thursday that it will be difficult to bring in someone currently employed with another club until after the June 26th-27th Draft in Sunrise, FL.
Futa has been in Los Angeles for eight years as their Head of Amateur Scouting and was promoted to VP of Hockey Ops last season, but GM Dean Lombardi is not going anywhere soon and assistant GM and Hall-of-Famer Rob Blake may be positioned as the heir apparent (reports of Toronto having interest in Blake as a GM candidate were quickly being squelched during the season).
The Toronto native has a working relationship with Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter going back to Futa’s days as GM of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack and his credentials of building up the Kings organization through some astute drafting is in line with Shanahan’s plan for rebuilding the Leafs.
There is nothing preventing the hiring of McPhee, who was dismissed in May 2014 after a 17-year stint as Caps GM. Brisebois is considered a rising star in management circles as an assistant to Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, but Friedman reports that he is not anxious to leave Tampa.
The Rangers denied both Boston and Toronto permission to speak to Gorton earlier in the month and GM Glen Sather stated that he is not sure he would grant permission after the playoffs, which could be a sign that Gorton will take over for the 71-year-old.
*******
Western Conference Final Prediction
Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks
Previous Series - Anaheim – defeated Winnipeg in 4 games, Calgary in 5 games Chicago – defeated Nashville in 7 games, Minnesota in 4 games
Anaheim Strengths
Up the middle with Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, who will pose a matchup problem for the Hawks. Getzlaf is one of the best offensive centers in the game and uses his size and strength to his advantage. Kesler was acquired from Vancouver last summer and is one the finest two-way pivots in the league, capable of shutting down Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.
The Ducks scoring comes from more than just Getzlaf, Kesler and Corey Perry. Matt Beleskey, Jakob Silfverberg and Patrick Maroon make Anaheim a difficult team to shut down.
The Ducks have the size advantage on Chicago and will attempt to step up their physicality as they did in their earlier playoff victories over the Jets and Flames.
Chicago Strengths
In spite of Getzlaf, Perry and Francois Beauchemin all being members of the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Ducks squad, the Hawks are the more tested and experienced playoff club and seem to be able to find a new gear whenever it is necessary.
Chicago has the distinct advantage on the blueline. Even though Anaheim’s defense has played well through two rounds, the Hawks have All-Stars in Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, who with the injury to Michal Rozsival may play close to 30 minutes per game.
Motivation could be a determining factor in the series, as Chicago is expected to go through a sizable roster change due to cap restrictions this summer and this will be the last chance for this edition of the Hawks to win the Cup.
Anaheim Keys To Victory
Anaheim needs to continue to punish their opposition physically, especially the short-handed Hawks defense in hopes of wearing them down late in games and later in the series.
The Ducks have received strong goaltending from Frederik Andersen and will need that to continue to get by the Hawks. There were questions entering the playoffs whether Andersen or John Gibson would be the go-to guy in the post-season, but Andersen is 8-1 and has played every minute.
Chicago Keys To Victory
Corey Crawford. A shaky Crawford was pulled in favor of backup Scott Darling in the Nashville series and the Preds kept it close without the services of Shea Weber. A sharp Crawford led the Hawks to a sweep over the Wild, who were expected to give Chicago a run for their money.
The Hawks are the quicker team and need to use their speed advantage to keep Anaheim on their heels. Kane, Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen all can fly.
Prediction –Chicago in 7
*******
Prospect Update
Maple Leafs 2013 top pick Frederik Gauthier will have an opportunity to add a Memorial Cup Championship to his 2015 World Junior gold medal, as the Rimouski Oceanic qualify for the Memorial Cup along with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and the host Quebec Remparts.
In 19 playoff games, Gauthier has scored two goals and 13 assists for the Oceanic after tallying 16 goals in 37 games during a regular season abbreviated by injury and a stint with Team Canada.
Gauthier is expected to make his pro debut with the Toronto Marlies next fall, but there is a question regarding the status of another 2013 draft choice, 7th rounder Andreas Johnson. The speedy 20-year-old winger continued to show progress after winning the SHL Rookie of the year in 2013-14, finishing fifth in the league in goals with 22 for Frolunda.
At the Leafs rookie camp last July, Johnson indicated that he would to play 2014-15 in Sweden and hoped to come to North America for the upcoming season, but in an interview with a Swedish reporter last week, he stated that his status for the upcoming season is up in the air and that he had not heard from the Leafs at this point.
"Andreas is a very important prospect and over the past two seasons he shown tremendous potential in the SHL. We are not going to discuss the contract status of any prospect publicly.… Leafs Assistant GM Kyle Dubas said while scouting at the IIHF World Championships in Prague this week.
A decision on Johnson’s future may be linked to the Leafs current general manager vacancy, but it also could be that Toronto sees no harm in the forward staying another season with Frolunda instead of signing him to an entry-level deal and counting towards the club’s 50 NHL contract limit. The Leafs retain Johnson’s rights for another two years.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.