Toronto Maple Leafs: What Do You Think? – Mark Hunter
Another day, another member of the Toronto Maple Leafs front office skipping town.
Today’s departing executive is former- Assistant General Manager Mark Hunter, who mutually agreed to part ways with the Leafs organization early this morning.
Truly, it was only a matter of time.
The moment Kyle Dubas was sworn in as GM, Hunter was all but gone. Now, the speculation is over. The dominoes most fans expect to fall have since fallen, meaning focus can finally be shifted towards the future. This is now officially Dubas’ team, and he’ll be given the opportunity to craft a supporting staff of his choosing.
Personally, I believe Hunter’s departure is for the best.
Reminder: this is the latest segment in the “What Do You Think?” series. Be sure to comment your opinion on the matter below to be potentially featured in the follow-up post later this week.
My Take
Look, I know Hunter has become the darling of this fan base’s old-school contingent.
His master scout reputation was highly touted upon his arrival in Toronto. Because of that, Hunter was essentially brought in to do one thing; handle the draft.
Pretty cut and dry, right?
Well, if you truly look at his draft history since joining the Leafs, it’s not very impressive at all. Outside of 2015, the draft which him and Dubas co-ran, Hunter has actually whiffed on a number of picks.
This includes decisions such as passing over Alex DeBrincat in favour of Yegor Korshkov. That one still hurts to this day. Couple it with spending later round picks on out-dated archetypes like J.D. Greenway and the shine fades even more.
Yes, Hunter drafted Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. And those are picks he should absolutely be commended for. Marner in particular, as Hunter reportedly had to fight Mike Babcock for him, who wanted Noah Hanafin instead.
Aside from the slam dunks, however, the results have been significantly underwhelming.
After doubling down on small, skilled prospects in 2015, Hunter went in the complete opposite direction in the following drafts. He consistently snatched up hulking defencemen or over-agers in rounds 2-4 that would’ve otherwise still been available in rounds 6-7.
For example, in 2016, Hunter chose Jack Walker, an over aged WHL winger, with guys like Jesper Bratt still available 10 picks later. It’s little missteps like these that go unnoticed. But, can ultimately lead to a death by a thousand cuts.
I plan on delving into Hunter’s 2016 and 2017 draft classes in a later piece. So, this is only a brief example. Yet, the initial underwhelming results from Hunter’s lone job as a Leafs executive should numb the pain of his departure.
It certainly has for me.
But, who cares what my take is. What do YOU think? Comment below to potentially be featured in the follow-up post later this week.
Next: Kyle Dubas and Hidden Talent
Thanks for reading!