Who would you like as the next GM?

[The Masters]

I get the sense George loves being the GM and getting into the fire of it. I wouldn't rule out the possibilty of him moving from Pres to GM especially to come to Toronto. Maybe he wants a bigger job role again and you know the $$$ will be there.

Curious what his contract is in Vegas.

 

[EN4CER]

We’re all hoping you’re right

 

[myleafs]

Let’s go all in with Don Cherry

What about Messier....

 

[hockeywiz542]

Who's running point for the Leafs? It's imperative for players, agents to know soon

An NHL summer requires plenty of work on the business side of the game. When a flagship franchise has no GM in charge, people get uneasy.

torontosun.com

First off, hands up if you watched third round playoff games so far and wondered if the Maple Leafs had the horses up front, the tough defence and goaltending to make the NHL’s final four and survive beyond.

As Tampa Bay knocked some stuffing out of Toronto en route to it beating the Bolts and the bad-ass Florida Panthers totally dominated, seems the Leafs, despite their deadline adds, need more. That must be found either internally, coaxing a higher gear from its stars and maximizing young prospects, or convincing free agents or those looking for a trade that Bay Street is still the place to be.

Much of that is now in doubt, after an apparent failed front-office power play ended in Brendan Shanahan firing Kyle Dubas as general manager. Dubas, who took pride in civil, quiet negotiations with players that never became public fodder, evidently mishandled his own pact.

And just like that, the Leafs are minus their point man on contracts, trade talks and the draft, not to mention a coaching search that will have to be part of their executive dragnet.

If special assistant Jason Spezza’s decision to follow his boss’s departure by resigning spreads to other Dubas loyalists, then Shanahan might be holding a June job fair.

The team’s website had a cleaved upper management roster by Saturday morning, president Shanahan, with Brandon Pridham as assistant GM (for now), Dr. Haley Wickenheiser heading player development and Ryan Hardy running the farm teams, after the Marlies coaching staff was dismissed Friday. All those below Shanny owe their positions to Dubas and the former admitted a lot of staffers felt “wounded” by the Friday announcement.

Into that uncertainly are looming negotiations for 10 unrestricted free agents and the final year on deals for Auston Matthews and William Nylander. How do representatives for the players handle the dialogue – and who do they talk to, unsure if there’s any new direction with the Leafs? Are they still playoff-worthy? Is the next GM blowing it up?

“If a player wants to be in Toronto and the offer is fair, I’ll make a deal with the devil,” a prominent player agent told the Sun. “(But) there are players that never, ever would play for the Leafs and even if Jesus was in charge, wouldn’t sign there for top dollar."

“Toronto would always try to win, so I’ll deal with anyone in charge for as long as my client is open to it.”

A call to Judd Moldaver, agent for Matthews, was not immediately returned.

Official Toronto Maple Leafs Website | Toronto Maple Leafs

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www.nhl.com

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

So. Why would McPhee leave Vegas to where he started the franchise and has had more success in the last few years than the Leafs have had in decades? I'm still looking for a good answer to this. I can see Armstrong cause maybe he is not into a long rebuild. George has all the autonomy and I imagine money there. So he would leave that to take on the Leafs.

I keep going to a three man race of Bowman, Hunter and Pridham and I really don't see why Pridham would leave if one of the other two are hired, maybe his role elevated.

I will say this. He who takes the job and finally leads this team to the stanley cup again will be immortalized. This is way over due, so damn over due.

Whoever this person is has to have the players back at all times, especially with league offices. I never want to see another GM in Toronto hang a Kadri out to dry and has no balls. He should have, Dubas, been fired that season. He was gutless and the team was gutless. They were up 3-1 and lst that series because they were gutless. Players were gutless as the GM was.

It's not Prinham, not based on what Shanny said

 

[Americanadian]

Lots of good signing under McPhee: George McPhee Staff History, Signings, and Coach Contracts - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

His trades are relatively good with Tatar being a miss (but Leafs fans are very familiar with throwing away draft capital): George McPhee Staff History, Signings, and Coach Contracts - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

 

[Racer88]

What about Messier....

Oh ya

 

[hockeywiz542]

The Shanahan Presser | 32 Thoughts

SPORTSNET

May 20, 2023 32 Thoughts

It was a late night and the Leafs make a major move! Jeff and Elliotte discuss Brendan Shanahan's press conference and recap the 4OT thriller. That and more on this full episode of 32 Thoughts!

----------------------------------------------

00:01 - Jeff and Elliotte discuss Brendan Shanahan's press conference as the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be bringing back Kyle Dubas as their GM

25:00 - They also recap the 4OT thriller between Florida-Carolina

 

[LeafsFan89]

Give me Burke or Nonis for the lulz Shanny. Start my summer off in the best way possible.

 

[Peace Frog]

McFee as GM and Boudreau as the coach. George can swing a deal to bring Tom Wilson to Toronto!

 

[hockeywiz542]

Quick Shifts: Why Treliving is in the mix to be Maple Leafs’ next GM

Stan Bowman and Brad Treliving should be in mix for Leafs GM job, Gerard Gallant wants back in, Coyotes must move and nine more NHL goodies in this edition of Luke Fox's Quick Shifts.

www.sportsnet.ca

1. As Brendan Shanahan’s pursuit of a new Toronto Maple Leafs general manager begins with urgency and intrigue, get ready to hear a barrage of names linked to the seat vacated by Kyle Dubas.

Shanahan’s lone clue as to the type of candidate he wants to hire? Experience.

That makes a world of sense, considering the new guy must hit the ground at full sprint, making decisions on the coaching staff, prepping for the draft and free agency, and drilling into the uncertain futures or core forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander before their trade clauses kick in.

Shanahan says he’s open to all ideas, but the experience qualifier drops the Brandon Pridhams and Eric Tulskys to long-shot status.

We fully expect the Leafs to interview ex-Flames GM Brad Treliving. And as Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports, Calgary has reconsidered blocking the executive — technically under contract through June 30 — from speaking to the opposition.

Treliving’s father, Jim, knows Leafs co-owner Larry Tanenbaum well from the business world. That could help.

Marc Bergevin has never left the game and wants back in the big chair.

If the Leafs are open to promoting from within, assistant GM Laurence Gilman may be of interest. His résumé is longer than Pridham’s.

Sources say another person of interest will be former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, who guided Chicago to three Stanley Cups and resigned from the organization amidst fallout from the Kyle Beach incident.

The 49-year-old has been quietly putting in work behind the scenes to restore good faith with the league. He’d like to work in the NHL again. He checks the experience box and has a history of making big trades and signing superstars.

Do not be surprised if Bowman earns consideration here.

 

[al secord]

Hire George Parros so we can start getting some fairness from the DOPS

What about Messier....

Couldn't handle all the tears

 

[Warden of the North]

You are mistaking Fletcher with Fenton.

Fenton makes wild comparison: Zuccarello 'like a lizard' with his stick

Paul Fenton must've caught an interesting reptile documentary on the WildLife Channel recently. The Minnesota Wild general manager gave an interesting analogy when discussing the club's newest free-agent acquisition, Mats Zuccarello."One of the top playmakers in the league, if you watch the way...

www.thescore.com

Fair enough. Chuck Fletcher is still awful.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Former Leafs, Canucks GM Nonis understands how pressure affected Dubas' exit

Canucks Talk with Jamie Dodd and, today, Bik Nizzar spoke with former Canucks and Leafs General Manager Dave Nonis Friday to showcase what being in a pressure-filled front office role can look like and what the future may hold for Toronto.

www.sportsnet.ca

Dave Nonis, centre, senior vice-president and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, watches the team practice with Brandon Pridham, left, assistant to the GM, and Kyle Dubas, assistant GM, following the firing of head coach Randy Carlyle in Toronto on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Darren Calabrese/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Dubas spoke to the press Monday regarding his future with the club, how he needed to discuss the future with his family, and how the thought of taking a step back had crossed his mind.

Canucks Talk with Jamie Dodd and, today, Bik Nizzar spoke with former Canucks and Leafs General Manager Dave Nonis Friday to showcase what being in a pressure-filled front office role can look like and what the future may hold for Toronto.

“It can be a difficult situation, even when you're winning. There were times, even in Vancouver, I remember one morning taking my son to school and there was a TV crew in my driveway," Nonis said. "So, those things happen, and you have to be able to deal with them... It can be difficult on the family, it can be difficult on your wife, your kids, and you have to understand that and be able to deal with it.”

"Because in the Canadian market, whether it's Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, you're going to have a fan base that is very interested and — in some cases — may cross the line to the point where you feel like you're being invaded,” he added.

Nonis spoke further on how some players and front office staff preferred avoiding the spotlight, admitting that the bright lights took their toll and that it would be understandable if they were part of why Dubas avoided committing to Toronto.

“At the end, it sounded like (Dubas) didn't want to do (continue with the Leafs). And, you know, there was a point there from the team where they felt that they had to move on because of the decisiveness or wishy-washy interest," Nonis explained on why he felt Dubas wouldn't return. "I believe that he wanted to come back, and there were family issues there that made the last week more difficult for him.”

Asked about the precarious position for an incoming GM, Nonis was succinct in describing the stakes for whoever was next in line to head the Maple Leafs ship.

“Incredibly risky,” Nonis responded.

“They may have to make a change. And in the makeup, maybe it's just a coach; maybe the coach stays, and they trade one of the players. Whoever comes in is going to have to make that determination. But usually, when you trade the best player in the trade, generally speaking, the team that gets the best player wins."

"They have some of the best players in the league on their roster. But time is also ticking, you've got Matthews with the one year left before his no-move kicks in, and then you're in between a rock and a hard place," Nonis added. "It'll be a very busy and interesting summer for whoever gets that job. And I would also expect that this is going to be a job for someone who's done it before, because the importance of making the right moves can impact the franchise for a decade.”

 

[socko]

The first thing I would say is anyone who proposed trading Nylander for Brett Pesce shouldn't be allowed to vote. That screams Matthew Tkachuk trade all over it.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

McFee as GM and Boudreau as the coach. George can swing a deal to bring Tom Wilson to Toronto!

You can't bring in BB as head coach, you can't replace one guy that can't win game 7, with another guy that's even worse in game 7.

As an assistant though? That's different because then he's not the guy.

 

[phillipmike]

Fair enough. Chuck Fletcher is still awful.

His draft record in Minny was pretty good. But his entire tenure in Philly was bad but part of me thinks it was because of ownership because they meddle a lot. That being said, Fletcher is no where near my top 5 of replacements.

 

[Amadeus]

With rumors of Dubas in line for Ottawa's job, what is everyone's thought on Pierre Dorion taking over for us.

I've always admired his drafting and trade acumen.

 

[Warden of the North]

With rumors of Dubas in line for Ottawa's job, what is everyone's thought on Pierre Dorion taking over for us.

I've always admired his drafting and trade acumen.

Has Dorion even been fired yet?

 

[SprDaVE]

With rumors of Dubas in line for Ottawa's job, what is everyone's thought on Pierre Dorion taking over for us.

I've always admired his drafting and trade acumen.

He's been awful for them. We're talking about a lot of terrible signings and bad trades. Not even drafting wise it has been that good but that's probably his best attribute.

 

[geo25]

​

I don't think Tulsky would come to Toronto. Therefore my pick would be Brad. He got more than most thought he would get for Tkachuk. He should have been more proactive with Gaudreau though.

Just like the Islanders should have been with Tavares and maybe even us with Mathews, Nylander and Marner.

Shanahan says he wants experince, I think Brad is the best of the lot then.

Bowman works too...

 

[GoonieFace]

Lyle Dubas, the older, cooler bother of Kyle

 

[hockeywiz542]

Brendan Shanahan on hot seat as Maple Leafs president seeks to finally get it right

Eight years to the day after hiring Mike Babcock to coach the Maple Leafs, Brendan Shanahan has the Original Six club in state of disarray.

torontosun.com

Under Shanahan, the Leafs have become a team that wins regularly only if it’s the regular season, before annually falling by the wayside in the playoffs. This year, finally, came that first-round victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then came the Florida Panthers, who threw a rink-sized bucket of ice-cold water over the Leafs’ dreams in a mere five games.

Under Shanahan, the Leafs talk every year about the desire to win the Stanley Cup, and if that stated wish was all that was required, the parade route would be worn out by now. Instead, the Leafs have never matched their skill, and expectations of themselves, with actual success in the post-season.

At some point, Shanahan is going to have to get it right with his hirings, isn’t he? How many more presentations have to be made to the MLSE board before someone peers over their reading glasses and realizes that with Shanahan running the show, the Leafs haven’t won?

We know that at least one more of those meetings with his bosses will take place in — the Leafs as a whole should hope — the near future.

At some point in the coming weeks, Shanahan will announce he has hired a new general manager in the wake of the firing of Kyle Dubas on Friday. That person, whether it’s Brad Treliving or Mark Hunter or Mathieu Darche or Stan Bowman or someone else, has to be given the freedom that Dubas apparently was seeking. And the hiring has to happen relatively quickly, considering the roster decisions that will have to be made.

Intriguing about the persistent speculation that Dubas wanted more autonomy in doing his job: If Shanahan was sticking his nose into hockey decisions, or putting a halt to some things Dubas wanted to do, or making personnel decisions himself, why was the president so eager to sign Dubas to an extension? If he didn’t have faith in Dubas’ ability to make decisions, why did it get to the point where, we’re led to believe, only a Dubas signature was needed for his return?

If that’s really the way that Shanahan functioned, we can’t see a person who has had experience as an NHL GM prepared to go to work for Shanahan and the Leafs under similar circumstances.

Time was Shanahan had Lou Lamoriello as the GM and Babcock as coach. It was a combination of formidable hockey knowledge that was supposed to bring the Cup(s) to Toronto.

But when Shanahan figured five years ago that Dubas was ready to become the GM, Lamoriello was gone. Some 18 months later, it was Babcock’s turn to be shown the door, fired in the Arizona desert after Shanahan cleared enough off his schedule to catch a flight to Phoenix to deliver a pink slip.

Dubas, the chosen one by Shanahan, had his own chosen candidate ripening with the Toronto Marlies. Sheldon Keefe has done some good things as the Leafs’ coach, but the next time he steps foot into Scotiabank Arena, the assumption is that it will be to clean out his office.

A new GM will undoubtedly want to hire his own person behind the bench. As for the handwringing in some quarters that more staff will follow Jason Spezza’s lead and resign, let’s not make too much of staff changes. As with the coach, a new GM will want to make some of his own hires for the front office.

Shanahan couldn’t make it work with two longtime, successful NHL vets in Lamoriello and Babcock; he couldn’t make it work when the responsibility was handed to Dubas and Keefe, two men who, despite having made significant growth in the sport, had no experience at the NHL level when they were hired for their respective jobs with the Leafs. And it didn’t work for the brief time that Dubas and Babcock were a tandem.

So now, Shanahan’s reward is that he gets another crack at getting it right. If only the man who won three Cups as a player and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame could take a chunk of that success as an executive and turn it into a Cup.

We’re not holding our breath. History tells us we shouldn’t.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

With rumors of Dubas in line for Ottawa's job, what is everyone's thought on Pierre Dorion taking over for us.

I've always admired his drafting and trade acumen.

It's hard to actually Guage how well of a job Dorian has done in Ottawa considering he was working under one of the worst owners in sports history. Myself, I think he's done a much better job than his reputation suggests. He does have one major draft f*** up though and that's drafting Tyler Boucher in the top 10.

 

[Rare Jewel]

With rumors of Dubas in line for Ottawa's job, what is everyone's thought on Pierre Dorion taking over for us.

I've always admired his drafting and trade acumen.

That's interesting considering they've moved all their high picks out.

I think GM's likely get too much credit and criticism with the draft. It's the scouts that do the work mostly.