Less than two weeks before the NHL Draft in Sunrise, FL, the picture is no clearer regarding the Maple Leafs management and coaching staffs. The club announced hiring of Sheldon Keefe as head coach of the AHL Toronto Marlies last week, but it is still unclear whether veteran coach Gord Dineen will remain as an associate coach or move on to another organization.
Head coach Mike Babcock has yet to name any of his assistants, in spite of indications after being hired last month that Wings assistants Jim Hiller and Andrew Brewer would be heading to Toronto. Former NHL head coaches Tony Granato and Paul Maclean have been rumored to be possible additions to the staff, but Granato is said to be negotiating a new contract to stay in Detroit as part of Jeff Blashill’s staff and Maclean still has a year left on his deal with the Ottawa Senators after being let go last December.
A new general manager is not expected until after July 1st and the expected resolution of whether Kelly McCrimmon would join the club did not come, although
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the lack of an announcement did not mean that the Brandon Wheat Kings Owner/GM/Coach had declined the Leafs offer.
TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated earlier in the week that McCrimmon was leaning towards taking the job and that the position would allow him to work for Toronto, oversee his interests with the WHL Wheat Kings and perhaps be the Western Canada equivalent of Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter.
Team President Brendan Shanahan has indicated that he would prefer to add a GM with NHL experience, which leaves the door open to the possibility of bringing Kings VP of Hockey Operations Mike Futa or former Capitals GM George McPhee on board.
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In his column in the Toronto Star,
Sportsnet’s Damien Cox indicates that the Maple Leafs main focus this summer in teardown deals for leading scorer Phil Kessel, team captain Dion Phaneuf and others will be to clear big salaries from the club’s budget while Toronto rebuilds and to acquire young prospects and accumulate draft picks in the next few years, where Hunter, assistant GM Kyle Dubas and possibly McCrimmon have intimate knowledge of the players in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 draft classes.
Cox also believes it is possible that there is still interest on the part of both Toronto and Detroit in revisiting a deal for Phaneuf.
A potential trade was scrapped the deadline due to the Wings unwillingness to trade prospects like Anthony Mantha, but there may be a reconsideration based on the need of Detroit to bolster their blueline, the potential price tag of free agents Mike Green and Cody Franson, Toronto taking back a bad contract in Stephen Weiss(who Detroit will likely have to buyout) and the wealth of prospects in the Wings organization that would allow them to move Mantha, their 2013 first round pick.
The 20-year-old winger scored 50 goals or more two straight seasons for Val D’or of the QMJHL, but disappointed in his first pro season after missing the first two months with a broken tibia.
The Leafs focus on accumulating draft picks could manifest itself in a trade down from the 4th overall pick in Sunrise, if the player that they want gets chosen by the Arizona Coyotes or a team trading into the #3 position.
If Dylan Strome is taken at #3 for example, Toronto could move down three or four draft slots with Philadelphia or Columbus trading up to select Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov and add an extra first round pick or a pair of lower picks. This could allow them to get the player that they want(like Mitch Marner) a few picks later or another that they deem relatively close in talent(Zach Werenski, Matthew Barzal, Lawson Crouse).
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