The day Brendan Shanahan had to know was coming officially arrived Tuesday when Mark Hunter quickly followed Lou Lamoriello out the door of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ executive suite.
What matters now is how the Maple Leafs president and his newly appointed general manager, Kyle Dubas, whose promotion precipitated the unsurprising departures of both Lamoriello and Hunter, replace two men who played key roles in the transformation of the Leafs from perennial pretender to a cutting-edge franchise.
This brings to mind something Dubas said May 11 in his first news conference as GM: “I’ve always tried to have a good network of people I think could potentially fill in because I never want to be caught empty-handed if we have a transition or we have a move, anywhere in the organization. I always keep that in mind when building relationships that if I do have to make another hire it’s not someone unfamiliar or it’s not someone I would have to go through that process of integrating.”
So, perhaps Dubas has a list of names of potential replacements as assistant GM now that Hunter and the Leafs “mutually agreed,” as the news releases say, to part ways with one year left on his contract. Given that Hunter has an almost unparalleled reputation as a talent scout – in just three drafts with the Maple Leafs, he landed players such as Mitch Marner, Travis Dermott and Timothy Liljegren in addition to the consensus Auston Matthews pick – this is an enormous hole to fill.
It is also quite a challenge right off the bat for a 32-year-old rookie NHL general manager.
New Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is ‘excited’ to work with coach Mike Babcock.
The Canadian Press
However, when Shanahan told Lamoriello not long ago he was sticking to schedule with the Shanaplan, which meant it was time for him to move from GM to senior adviser with Dubas the eventual successor, the Leafs president had to have known this would mean both Lamoriello and Hunter moved on. So Shanahan can argue this is all unfolding as it should.
Lamoriello may be 75 years old but he still wants to be in charge of an NHL team. When he was introduced as the New York Islanders’ new president of hockey operations on a conference call Tuesday, Lamoriello admitted the role of senior adviser, the elder statesman who gets a healthy retainer but little role in the operation, was not for him. “I’m not wired to think that way,” he said.
Hunter also aspires to be a GM in charge of his own team so it was not surprising he felt the need to move on after being passed over for the Leafs job. The only mildly surprising thing was that Shanahan and Dubas rejected Hunter’s offer to stay around long enough to help at the entry draft June 22 and 23 in Dallas.
Usually, the departure of both the GM and the assistant GM, who is also the chief talent scout, shortly before the entry draft is a disaster. But in this case, Dubas was part of the draft preparations and since the plans are already in place, things should go smoothly.
Either way, it was unlikely Hunter was going to do any more scouting for the Leafs. If he were given the GM’s job instead of Dubas it would also have spelled an end to his days of haunting hockey arenas around the world.
As for what’s next, it’s anyone’s guess. While the Leafs decreed Hunter could not work for another NHL team through the draft and the meaty part of the free-agent market in early July, he is apparently free after that to do what he likes.
Unlike most NHL executives looking for work, Hunter has options. He can go back to the family owned London Knights, the wealthiest junior team in Canada, to wait for something to open on the GM front or he could even turn up with Lamoriello on the Islanders payroll.
Without any potential awkwardness from Hunter staying on, Dubas now gets to build the Leafs organization his way. Another question facing him is dealing with the amateur scouting staff, many of whom are Hunter acolytes, such as player-evaluation director Jim Paliafito.
One name to keep an eye on is Tim Speltz, the director of western area scouting. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock is now fresh out of contemporaries in the front office and he and Speltz go back a ways. Promoting Speltz from the field to the home office is one way for Dubas to keep the coach happy.
As for Lamoriello, he gives the Islanders instant credibility after years as a punchline. It also vastly increases the team’s chances of keeping pending free agent John Tavares.
But Lamoriello typically refused comment on future moves and on a report he already met with Tavares. When it came to his current job, Lamoriello said Islanders co-owner Scott Malkin asked Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum for permission to discuss the job with him during the Leafs’ playoff series with the Boston Bruins and he put off a decision until the past few days.
Lamoriello said he will also take his time deciding the fates of Islanders GM Garth Snow, head coach Doug Weight and the rest of the staff. He said it is his habit to “step back and see what people you have in place have to offer and what their thoughts are. Then you make a decision and move on.”
Presumably, Lamoriello’s son, Chris, might be safe as the Islanders’ assistant GM.