Peter Chiarelli being linked to the Maple Leafs should terrify and excite fans in equal measure
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Peter Chiarelli knows the Maple Leafs all too well; he fleeced them twice after all. But he could also be their saviour although he may give fans a nervous feeling.
As the Maple Leafs look towards a new vision, that means new faces. The noise isn't going to settle down until a successor to Brad Treliving is chosen, and the names on the list are getting pretty impressive and offer a lot of hope for the future of the NHL's most profitable franchise.
But they need a group that works in tandem with each other and it would take a seasoned veteran executive with a young, data-crunching guru in order to bring about the changes needed to make Toronto relevant again.
The championship pedigree from Boston and why his Cup winning resume is hard to ignore
Among the vets they've inquired about, Mike Gillis is getting the most attention however the word from Nick Kypreos is that he's not the only vet on the market and Toronto is looking at an old enemy to turn their fortunes around — Peter Chiarelli.
Today, hockey executives with similar NHL experience such as Doug Armstrong, Dean Lombardi, Peter Chiarelli and Mike Gillis have been linked to Toronto.
We've heard a lot about Armstrong and Gillis, meanwhile Lombardi is a out of the box pick who could bring an interesting perspective, but Chiarelli provides the most intrigue of them all.
While he's someone who has been chastised for several misses over his career, this is also a veteran executive who knows the Maple Leafs more than anyone. He spent 9 years as Bruins GM and fleeced Toronto for Tuukka Rask and managed to get Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton out of the Phil Kessel deal.
But he also had some serious misses, like trading Hart Trophy-winner Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson; who was solid but nowhere near that level of stardom.
He along with Jeff Gorton also drafted some of the mainstays of the Bruins such as Mila Lucic, Brad Marchand while also luring Zdeno Chara over; arguably his best signing. Chiarelli also masterminded the Buins' 2011 Cup win — a year Maple Leafs fans know all too well.
The Edmonton shadow and why the fear of another trade mistake haunts Chiarelli
Going back to Chiarelli's time in Edmonton, he definitely didn't earn a lot of flowers from the fanbase as he made some serious errors in judgement.
Trading Hall was ridiculous regardless of if he wanted a better blueline, but also trade fan favourite Patrick Maroon, traded Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome — only to trade him a year later.
There's a serious question mark about what Chiarelli would do for the Maple Leafs. He's traded stars and fan favourites before, and it means that if he were in charge we may not have John Tavares, William Nylander or Matthew Knies anymore.
Toronto fans just got burned by several horrible deals from Treliving, and there's a real risk that Chiarelli could make another Brandon Carlo-esque deal to bring in a stable piece for a rookie and watch it blow up all again.
If Toronto wants to bring him aboard, then they are going to need a President who is a little more vocal and hands on. If there's a deal Chiarelli likes, he can't just be allowed to do it without proving that it benefits the team.
Of all the names that could come up in the Maple Leafs' GM search, Peter Chiarelli is someone who could drastically change the outlook of the team — for better or worse.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The second meeting with Mike Gillis signals the Maple Leafs have finally found their man
The second meeting with Mike Gillis signals the Maple Leafs have finally found their man
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 11|722 ANSWERS Peter Chiarelli being linked to the Maple Leafs should terrify and excite fans in equal measure Should the Maple Leafs hire Peter Chiarelli for their front office? | ||
| Yes | 185 | 25.6 % |
| No | 537 | 74.4 % |
| List of polls | ||