The Maple Leafs front office is about to be gutted from top to bottom before the roster rebuild even begins
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs search for a new President and GM will come with lasting consequences as not only will it send the team into a new era, but will end with a lot of people looking for work elsewhere.
Keith Pelley made it clear that he wanted to shift the philosophy of the Maple Leafs organization and provide a more strategic and analytic approach as opposed to the older mentality the team has gone through over the past decade.
Well, with the search for a new management team begins, there needs to be a deep evaluation of the current staff and for the majority of them — they are headed out.
So let's take a look at both the front office staff as well as coaches/scouts who could end up being on the chopping block.
The front-office staff at risk of receiving their pink slip in May
There's so many cooks in the kitchen but with a team like Toronto that's almost necessary. However, they can stand to trim the fat and take out some of the older names and replace them with fresh minds.
Here's the most likely candidates to be fired/let go:
- Shane Doan (Senior Advisor to GM)
- Hayley Wickenheiser (Assistant GM; Player Development)
- Derek Clancy (Assistant GM; Player Personnel)
- Cliff Fletcher (Senior Advisor)
- Danielle Goyette (Director of Player Development)
- Rob Pettapiece (Director of Hockey Research)
- Wesley Waldner (Director of Hockey Systems)
- Hayley Wickenheiser (Assistant GM; Player Development)
- Derek Clancy (Assistant GM; Player Personnel)
- Cliff Fletcher (Senior Advisor)
- Danielle Goyette (Director of Player Development)
- Rob Pettapiece (Director of Hockey Research)
- Wesley Waldner (Director of Hockey Systems)
While there are a ton of other names, these are the most prominent. Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy deserve to be safe, especially the latter — who is basically the reason Toronto could keep everyone together in the first place and they are running things in the interim.
No offense to Doan, but his gamble on Matias Maccelli wasn't great, and we don't really hear him giving any input beyond that. Wickenheiser is a Canadian legend and a legitimate force in hockey, but being in player development has been hit and miss.
Clancy also needs to go as he helps oversee the talent coming in as well as managing the scouting side of things. With how badly Toronto has been scouting NHL talent and making good deals, he should be gone quickly.
Fletcher is just a byproduct of an old time, he's a Maple Leafs legend but also 90 years old. Just go retire and enjoy your life Cliff, there's nothing left to prove.
The trio of directors also need to go. Toronto needs a fresh look and if the team is headed towards a more analytical and technological approach then whoever comes in is likely bringing their own team. Toronto's hockey systems haven't succeeded, and the research results haven't been displayed in full force.
The coaching and scouting staff who will be looking for work come this summer
Switching gears to the coaching and scouting departments, there needs to be a serious overhaul with the coaches while the scouting could use a little beefing up.
So here's who may be gone from that side of the equation:
Coaches
- Craig Berube (Head Coach)
- Mike Van Ryn (Assistant Coach)
- Derek Lalonde (Assistant Coach)
- Steve Sullivan* (Assistant Coach)
- Mike Van Ryn (Assistant Coach)
- Derek Lalonde (Assistant Coach)
- Steve Sullivan* (Assistant Coach)
*denotes headed back to the Toronto Marlies
Scouts
- Mike Penny (Pro Scout)
- Steven Reinprecht (Pro Scout)
- Garth Malarchuk (Amateur Scout)
- Reid Mitchell (Director of Hockey and Scouting Relations)
- Jim Roque (Pro Scout)
- Steven Reinprecht (Pro Scout)
- Garth Malarchuk (Amateur Scout)
- Reid Mitchell (Director of Hockey and Scouting Relations)
- Jim Roque (Pro Scout)
Starting with the coaching staff, it's clear that this is the group that needs a huge makeover. Berube is pretty much done, and Van Ryn should never go near a Toronto defence again.
Lalonde was a nice addition to the PK coaching and he's not a bad coach but he's also one of those dime a dozen coaches that often go overlooked.
Sullivan is likely headed off the Maple Leafs staff but he deserves to at least help the Marlies. He's still very young and could use the extra reps in case he decides to head a team one day.
Many of the scouts are pro scouts and this is more of a reflection on the last few trade deadlines, where they didn't necessarily find the best NHL players that a) fit the system or b) become great assets.
Toronto's got some very smart drafting minds, but when the pro scouts tell you to spend a first-round pick on Brandon Carlo — you gotta make a choice.
Now there could be about 25 or 30 other moves the team could do and this list doesn't even touch the smaller departments or all the faces in player development. But it is a good foundation for Toronto to at least approach things with new eyes.
Which is something they need badly because for the last decade all they've had was tunnel vision.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Chris Pronger puts the Maple Leafs on notice with his strict conditions for the MLSE to join the front office
Chris Pronger puts the Maple Leafs on notice with his strict conditions for the MLSE to join the front office
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 1|1209 ANSWERS The Maple Leafs front office is about to be gutted from top to bottom before the roster rebuild even begins Which department needs the most work for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Front Office | 191 | 15.8 % |
| Scouting | 55 | 4.5 % |
| Coaching | 53 | 4.4 % |
| All 3 Need Work | 910 | 75.3 % |
| List of polls | ||