The Toronto Maple Leafs took care of one high profile position in their organization with the hiring of head coach Mike Babcock, but indicated in Thursday’s press conference that the NHL Draft is next on the list of priorities and that the search of a general manager could last until the summer.
“For me, what's most important is finding the right fit. Now I think there's some options out there. I felt at the time that it was more pressing to focus on the coaching situation, we were involved at the get go with Mike. I've had some conversations with some potential people.… Shanahan said. “My plan hasn’t changed from the end of the season, it’s about finding the right people. I am not as concerned about the timing.…
At this point Shanahan, assistant GM Kyle Dubas and director of player personnel Mark Hunter are handling the various management duties, including fielding calls for potential trades and readying the club for selecting 4th and 24th overall in the first round, but Hunter has been taking on more of the responsibilities vacated by Dave Nonis and was singled out for special mention by the new coach and Team President for his role in bringing Babcock to Toronto and his importance in the Leafs plans going forward.
“When they hired (Hunter) last year, I said ‘home run.’… Babcock said. “The two guys that I know that are two of the best hockey men period are Kelly McCrimmon(GM and Coach of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings) and Mark Hunter. There the guys for me, they flat out just keep doing it year after year after year. They find players, they can smell them.…
The focus of the search for a new GM has been external, with names like former NHL goalie Sean Burke, former Washington GM George McPhee, Tampa Bay assistants Julien BriseBois and Pat Verbeek, New York assistant GM Jeff Gorton and LA Kings VP of Hockey Operations Mike Futa being mentioned, but there are indications that Hunter has designs on the position.
“The general manager ipso facto is Brendan Shanahan, the man who will have the title and do the job will be Mark Hunter.… Former Leafs assistant GM Bill Watters said in an interview on Friday. “There’s no need to disrupt that triangle. The respect that (Mike) Babcock has for Hunter and for Shanahan needn’t be put at risk by bringing another person in.…
Watters believes that the 52-year-old former NHLer (who coached the AHL’s St. John’s Maple Leafs for him in 1996-97) could be the best person for the job, in spite of most of his experience coming as an OHL executive, while others believe that taking on the GM role would distract from his main responsibilities of scouting and evaluating talent.
“There is not a more loyal employee, a better hockey man, a more knowledgeable hockey person than Mark Hunter.… Watters said.
Candidates on the list with teams still active in the playoffs or involved in preparations for their current club’s draft would seem to be likelier options since the process is in limbo, while unattached candidates such as McPhee and Burke or even Hunter would seem less likely due to there not being an impediment to naming them GM immediately.
Futa appears to be the best option of the current group, having been part of the Kings organization for eight years as Head of Amateur Scouting, responsible for the selections of Drew Doughty, Slava Voynov, Brayden Schenn, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson and others. The Toronto native has the NHL experience that Hunter does not possess and has a working relationship with Dubas and Hunter back to his days as GM of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack.
Listen to my full interview with Bill Watters here:
*******
Detroit reporter Ansar Khan indicates that Red Wings assistant coach Jim Hiller will be coming to Toronto along with Mike Babcock.
The 46-year-old British Columbia native won WHL and CHL Coach of the Year honors as bench boss of the Tri-City Americans in 2012 and joined the Red Wings last season to handle their power play, which ended up 2nd in the NHL.
*******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.