PITTSBURGH (May 11) -- Sometime in the next six weeks, a person of uncompromising merit will be named general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will automatically spark visions of a Stanley Cup parade for the first time in more than four decades. That's what the Leafs are telling us, anyway. The successful candidate will come from the large and diverse list of names that has generated much speculation in the past three-and-a-half months, and will likely provoke more debate than the search, itself.
In this process, the Leafs appear to be looking for a Messiah or a warlock... a person sent by God, or someone with a magic wand. It's very possible they'll find neither. Instead, the Maple Leafs will probably have to settle for an upgraded rendering of John Ferguson -- a man with established credentials at the NHL level, but without a glittering mantle of decorations. The quality of manager, in other words, that is operating three of the final four contestants for the Stanley Cup this spring. For the sake of argument, let's review most of the names being mentioned, and try to seperate fact from fantasy. There are basically two categories: a) GMs the Leafs hope to land, and b) GMs they might conceivably land.
In the HOPE category, we have...
BRIAN BURKE: This one looks like a wing and a prayer, but I don't believe it's over and done with. In fact -- as mentioned in my previous blog -- I feel Burke has a better chance of landing with the Leafs before July 1 of this year, than July 2 of 2009, when he's slated to be a free agent. Either way, if the Leafs want him badly enough, they'll only have to make due until next summer.
KEN HOLLAND: Not available.
JIM NILL: Not available.
DOUG WILSON: Not available.
LOU LAMORIELLO: Not available.
BOB GAINEY: Not available.
SCOTTY BOWMAN: Might talk to the Leafs again, but would have to still be working at 85 to 90 years of age, based on Richard Peddie's desire to have a GM with the club for 10 to 15 years. Scotty will retire, then die, as a Red Wing.
WAYNE GRETZKY: Imagine hockey's most famous name heading up the Maple Leafs' operation as president. And, doing the job very capably. He might be interested, too. Otherwise, he'll continue in his steady progession as coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
The CONCEIVABLE category is more populous and reasonable. It includes...
BRIAN BURKE: See above.
NEIL SMITH: Yes, he's been out of the GM's chair since the Rangers fired him in 2000, but he has continued to work in various capacities with Dallas and Anaheim, and has been a prime contributor to the NHL Network as an analyst. He was also GM of the Islanders for one sunrise in the off-season of 2006. Smith is best-known for leading the Rangers to their only Stanley Cup title in the past 68 years (1994), and he was almost hired by the Leafs in 2003. Instead, Peddie and Co. went with the cheaper candidate. The Leafs wouldn't do at all badly in hiring Neil. He is young, experienced and media savvy.
DOUG ARMSTRONG: In my mind, he's the best candidate among recently-fired NHL managers. But, Armstrong seems to generate a wide spectrum of opinion. Some people believe he's an obvious choice, having essentially built the strong Dallas team that is vying for the Western Conference title this spring. Others say his record is an aberration. That he is not a strong enough personality to survive the crazed hockey market in Toronto. But, I think the Leafs could do a lot worse than hiring this guy.
DAVID NONIS: The jury is still out on Vancouver's former GM, though he is extremely well-liked by people in the NHL, and will almost certainly land on his feet somewhere in the league. His level of accomplishment with the Canucks, however, isn't much different than Ferguson's in Toronto. Nonis missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons with clubs that had a higher level of expectation than the Leafs. He made a superb trade for goalie Roberto Luongo, but was not able to improve Vancouver's paltry attack. I think he's a fall-back option, at best.
COLIN CAMPBELL: Nothing is known about this man as a GM, but there's a whole bunch of people that swear he'd be the perfect candidate. Though he's been the target of rampant criticism during his years imposing NHL discipline, Colin has handled the league's most thankless chore with dignity. Those who work under him in the league office say he is a superb organizer, and an exceptional leader. As a player and assistant coach with Vancouver and the Rangers, Campbell participated in the Stanley Cup final; he was on Mike Keenan's staff with the '94 Blueshirts. If he becomes a GM, he'll have risen through the ranks much the same way as Burke, who managed in Hartford and was the NHL's chief cop before landing in Vancouver. Perhaps Colin's toughest task would be to grow another layer or two of skin. He's had lots of practice fending off hockey people and media in his current role, and he knows he'd be constantly under seige and scrutiny as GM of the Leafs.
DAVE TAYLOR: The former GM of the Los Angeles Kings is clearly not at the top of any list among fans of the Maple Leafs, but I'd grab him in a heartbeat. If not as GM, then as a No. 1 assistant, providing he's interested in leaving his player personnel job in Dallas, and assuming the Stars would let him go. Taylor has a pretty decent gig right now. He travels around the league on behalf of the Stars, but still makes his home northwest of L.A., where he played for and managed the Kings. On his watch, Los Angeles drafted players such as Olli Jokinen, Joe Corvo, Alex Frolov, Andreas Lilja, Lubomir Visnovski, Mike Cammalleri, Cristobel Huet, Dustin Brown, and Anze Kopitar. He once signed an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota named Jason Blake. So, Taylor's been around the bend and has done a fairly good job. The Leafs would boost their executive lair by hiring him.
CHUCK FLETCHER: At the top of the list among future GM prospects is the son of Leafs' interim boss, Cliff Fletcher. Chuck has been in NHL management since 1993, and is currently Ray Shero's chief lieutenant with the raging Pittsburgh Penguins. He was assistant GM with Florida from 1994 to 2002, and the Panthers made their lone trip to the Stanley Cup final (1996) during his reign. In his tenure as director of hockey operations with Anaheim, the Ducks went to the 2003 Cup final (losing to New Jersey). Fletcher currently manages hockey affairs for the Penguins' top affiliate -- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. That club has advanced to the Calder Cup Eastern Conference final this spring against the Portland Pirates. So, Chuck has done all of the apprenticing you'd expect of a future NHL GM -- and has done it exceptionally well. Sadly for the Leafs, he doesn't fit their lofty description of a hockey front-man. Ultimately, that will be Toronto's loss.
RICK DUDLEY: Another veteran of hockey management at all levels, Dudley is currently Dale Tallon's right-hand man with the Chicago Blackhawks -- one of the NHL's most exciting and improved teams in the 2007-08 season. The Hawks' dynamic duo of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews was drafted on Dudley's watch, and most hockey people will tell you that Rick was the man behind Tampa Bay's 2004 Stanley Cup championshp. In his two-and-a-half years as senior vice-president of the Lightning, the club acquired Martin St. Louis, Nikolai Khabibulin and Dave Andreychuk -- all of whom played key roles in the Cup triumph. Dudley was previously GM in Florida and Ottawa. He is very well-thought of within the hockey establishment.
HAKAN ANDERSSON: "Who?" you are likely asking. Well, simply the man responsible for the unparalleled core of European-born megastars on the Detroit Red Wings. During Andersson's tenure as the Wings' chief European scout, the club has won three Stanley Cups (1997-98-2002), and is favored to win a fourth this spring. You are familiar with the names -- Pavel Datsyuk (171st overall in the 1998 draft); Henrik Zetterberg (210th in the '99 draft); Niklas Kronwall (29th in the 2000 draft); Jiri Hudler (58th in the 2002 draft); Valtteri Filppula (95th in 2002), and Johan Franzen (97th in the 2004 draft). All were unearthed by Andersson, and no scout on either side of the big pond done as spectacular a job. Defenceman Jiri Fischer was also drafted by Andersson and was destined for great things until a heart condition ended his career two seasons ago. The Red Wings aren't likely to let this guy go free, and for good reason. But, the Leafs would be wise to keep an extremely close eye on him.
BOBBY CLARKE: Certainly capable of doing a good job as GM in the NHL, but hardly a popular figure in Toronto. In fact, few players in modern NHL history are more despised by Leaf fans -- those in the 50-year-old crowd can easily recall the Toronto-Philadelphia playoff wars of the 1970s. And, Clarke even battled the Leafs as a manager; remember how he and Pat Quinn went at it over the Eric Lindros/Tomas Kaberle trade talks a few years back? Clarke has orange and black tattooed all over his body. Though he is no longer GM in Philadephia, he still holds a top position in the front office, and always will, so long as Ed Snider owns the team. Ol' No. 16 is travelling with the Flyers during their Stanley Cup run this spring.
CRAIG PATRICK: The GM of the Pittsburgh clubs that won consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992 has expressed interest in talking to the Leafs. Patrick -- a member of hockey's royal family -- was manager here in Pittsburgh from 1989-2006. During his tenure, the Penguins drafted Jaromir Jagr, Markus Naslund, Martin Straka, Michal Rozsival, Ryan Malone, Brooks Orpik, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Whitney, Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. A fairly impressive group. And, a man the Leafs should definitely follow up with.
Others probably qualify for these lists. Feel free to e-mail me with those I have not mentioned. It's important, however, to keep in mind that no hockey person has an unblemished record; just as none of us do in our jobs. But, as you can see, the Leafs have lots to choose from, and are restricted primarily by their own narrow definition of a GM. It will be intriguing to see how this situation plays itself out.
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