The Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting on the sidelines as the NHL playoffs get underway this weekend and will certainly have a busy summer after it. But before any decisions get made, someone needs to be put in charge and now we have at least a clearer idea of who is a candidate.
Throughout the last few weeks, the list of potential Maple Leafs general managers to lead this team to hopefully a less embarrassing season, has grown and solidified. Especially since the New Jersey Devils hired one of Toronto's top candidates in Sunny Mehta, the picture is getting clearer. And, thanks to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, there is a definitive list.
Elliotte Friedman reveals list of Maple Leafs GM candidates
In his latest 32 Thoughts blog on Friday, Friedman had multiple points about the Maple Leafs search and where they currently stand, but within that update there is a massive list as to who Toronto is talking with about the position and possibly have interest in.
"Sunny Mehta taking the Jersey job removes a serious candidate from Toronto’s list. Most of the interviews this week were done by Zoom," Friedman wrote earlier this week. "Among those I believe have spoken to the Maple Leafs, in alphabetical order: Ryan Bowness (Islanders), John Chayka, Mike Gillis, Ryan Hardy, Ryan Martin (Rangers), Brandon Pridham, Chris Pronger.
That’s seven, including the current co-GMs, and I suspect the number is around 10. So this is not a complete picture. Others I’ve wondered about: Gregory Campbell (Panthers), Evan Gold (Bruins), Brad Pascall (Flames). A lot of rumours about Ross Mahoney (Capitals) and would like to see him get his shot, but no evidence he’s involved."
That's a lot.
So it has been confirmed that the Leafs have intterviewed the likes of assistant general managers around the league, such as Ryan Bowness, Ryan Martin, and current Leafs AGMs Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy; as well as some former general managers in Mike Gillis and John Chayka, and then toss in Hall-of-Famer Chris Pronger just because.
That certainly feels like a real, extensive list. Gillis, with all the noise surrounding his name, feels like the frontrunner to be in a president of hockey operations role, with someone more focus on the day-to-day operations underneath him who could be one of those current assistant general managers being put in this position for the first time.
Additionally, Friedman speculated on some names such as Gregory Campbell (who famously was on the 2013 Bruins team during that infamous Leafs collapse), and other up-and-coming executives like Ryan Gold, Brad Pascall, and Ross Mahoney.
All of these options would be incredibly interesting. More than anything, because there are just two candidates who previously held a general manager position and neither would really be seen as re-treads. Gillis is a respected figure and hasn't been in the NHL since being fired in 2014, and Chayka had to be ousted due to some controversy. We're not talking about getting someone who has just been here before and is very safe.
Let's see how this all goes in the coming weeks.
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