It may be the offseason, but the Toronto Maple Leafs just won’t quit grabbing the headlines.
Much has been made of the personnel shuffling occurring in the Leafs front office lately, what with Mark Hunter and Lou Lamoriello leaving town just days apart. Those departures not only saw two “respected hockey men” take their talents elsewhere, it opened a number of executive positional vacancies for Kyle Dubas to fill as well.
And fill he did. On Friday, Dubas officially announced the hiring of Laurence Gilman as his new assistant general manager.
Gilman’s name isn’t one which many people associated with the Leafs front office vacancy. In fact, not much is known about him to the average fan. But, do some digging into Gilman’s past, and it reveals him to be the exact type of front office presence fans should be aching for.
My Take
Gilman has held a multitude of roles throughout his lengthy hockey career.
The two which stand out as relevant to his recent hiring is his work in crafting the expansion draft rules for Vegas, along with his serving as Mike Gillis‘ right-hand man in Vancouver.
Let’s start with the latter.
The Canucks
The 2011 Vancouver Canucks will likely go down as the most talented team to never win a Stanley Cup. At a time when big bruising grit was coveted, the Canucks built their roster around skill and puck possession, to overwhelmingly positive results.
Gilman, working alongside Gillis, was a large part of that.
What stands out to me from those Canucks teams is how well they identified under-the-radar talent. A gift which happens to be Dubas’ bread and butter.
Alex Burrows (when he was good) was an undrafted free agent playing roller hockey until Vancouver snatched him up. Pairing him with the Sedins, he went on to average roughly 25 goals per year between 2007-2013.
Similarly, Chris Tanev was an undrafted find as well. The then-20-year-old Tanev only played 29 games in the 2010-11 run to the Cup. But, his presence was unquestionably crucial during the playoffs when the Canucks cycled through 15 different defencemen.
These shrewd finds are the moves which will inevitably push the Leafs over the edge. And now, with Gilman set to take over the Marlies, the Leafs could add to their already bountiful wealth of young, promising talent.
Vegas
Gilman’s work with Vegas, as well, is notable. Although, more for his comments regarding it than his tangible work.
During an interview on Craig Custance’s “The Full 60” podcast, Gilman spoke at length on how well he believed George McPhee handled the expansion draft. What impressed him the most, Gilman recalled, is how McPhee used his organization’s vast financial might to his advantage.
In eating other team’s bloated contracts, he could recoup a promising asset as a sweetener.
Armed with $25 million in cap space this summer, such an avenue is one the Leafs should take. Moves akin to burying Nathan Horton’s contract on LTIR for the benefit of receiving a draft pick or prospect is an advantage awarded to rich teams like the Leafs.
And, Gilman knows that.
These are only two examples. But, they make me incredibly excited at the prospect of adding a mind like Gilman’s to a front office already featuring Dubas and noted wizard Brandon Pridham.
What Do You Think?
But, it doesn’t matter what I think about this. What do YOU think?
Comment your take below to be potentially featured in the follow-up post later this week.
Next: How Kyle Dubas Pushed the Marlies to Greatness
Thanks for reading!