Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Internal General Manager Options
No. 1: Laurence Gilman
If you want someone with a ton of experience, look no further than Laurence Gilman.
He may not be as recognized in Toronto, as he’s never been a GM of an NHL team, but he’s been involved in professional hockey for 25 years.
Starting with the Phoenix Coyotes in 1998, Gilman has worked in hockey operations for many different organizations over the years, most recently being hired as the General Manager of the Toronto Marlies and Assistant General Manager of the Leafs.
Throughout the league, Gilman is well respected and has been a strong candidate for GM jobs in the past, including the Vancouver Canucks position last year, which was given to Jim Rutherford.
Although Brandon Pridham’s (we’ll get to him) name gets more attention because he’s been Kyle Dubas’ right-hand man for the salary-cap, Gilman’s no slouch to understanding the rules.
With so much experience, Gilman is bound to be a GM for an organization one day, so it wouldn’t be shocking if the Leafs promoted him this year.
No. 2: Ryan Hardy
It would be a little ironic if the Leafs hired Hardy as the team’s new GM, as he’s younger than Dubas, but he does come with a wealth of experience, although it’s not NHL experience.
Over the years, Hardy has worked as a scout with the Boston Bruins and was named USHL’s General Manager of the year in 2019 and 2021. He was able to build one of the best USHL teams of all-time, which is probably what interested Dubas in the first place when he hired him in 2021.
During Hardy’s tenure with the Leafs, he’s overseen hockey operations for the Toronto Marlies and Newfound Growlers and both teams have been very successful during his short stint here. The Growlers are still currently in the Kelly Cup playoffs, while the Marlies unfortunately went out in the Third Round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
Although Hardy is young, he’s an up-and-coming talent and someone who is doing all the right things to eventually be named GM of an NHL team. Hiring Hardy would go against Shanahan’s original comments on what he wants out of a GM, so this probably wouldn’t make sense but crazier things have happened.
No. 3: Brandon Pridham
Brandon Pridham is the current acting GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, so a transition from interim to full-time GM could be in the works for the salary-cap wizard.
As mentioned, Pridham has been most famously known for his salary-cap knowledge, being able to manipulate the books to give the Leafs the best advantage. The most recent example of this was during the Matthew Knies negotiations, as the team was able to add him without subtracting anyone.
Based on his current role, Pridham seems like the most likely internal candidate who could earn full-time status as GM with the Leafs, but when you look at NHL experience, he’s only worked for one team. He was hired in 2014 as a special assistant to the GM, was promoted to Assistant GM and is now being considered as GM.
He’s deserved every promotion, but since he’s only worked for one organization, he only knows one way to do it. In this situation, it’s never a bad idea to bring in someone who’s worked for multiple clubs because that experience and knowledge of what other teams do is huge.
You can take the best practices from each franchise and apply to your own, while Pridham only knows how the Leafs operate. It’s not the worst thing in the world, as the Leafs are world-class but it’ll be something Shanahan will have to consider.
Next. 3 Hypothetical Mitch Marner Trades. dark
The team will more than likely go external but if they decide to hire within, it’ll likely be one of these three candidates.