Oh boy, do I ever hate writing about this type of topic. There’s simply too much to consider. With experienced options you have to consider trade history, draft history, coaching changes, how they deal with the media, are they a “I’m the President, GM, Head Scout, Director of Everything, shut up and listen to me” type of leader, or a “nobody can know everything, so lets put our heads together and figure it out” type of leader and which do you prefer? With the inexperienced options you have to consider how many facets of the job they’ve been involved with and then guess at which type of team they’d like to build, how well they’ll be able to trade, sign and re-sign players and you need to consider which GMs they’ve worked under and how that could influence their own decision making.
With the inexperienced it’s a lot of guessing, from a fans point of view. Case in point, how successful of a GM do you think Brandon Pridham would be? What type of team do you believe he would build? He’s been an assistant GM in Toronto for eight years now and I have no idea what he’s all about because the assistant’s generally work in the background. He’s not the guy that’s in front of the camera explaining why the return on Scott Laughton was so poor, but for all we know he was a major factor in both bringing Laughton to and sending him out of Toronto. Or maybe when Brad Treliving and Craig Berube said “we need to be heavier” last summer, Pridham pointed to a spreadsheet of numbers and pointed towards Dakota Joshua, convincing them that he was the guy that would bounce back and have a very successful season? The thing is, we don’t know who or what he has thrown his support behind. We only know that he’s said to be very smart and very proficient with the CBA. GMs value him very highly, to the point that when Kyle Dubas was named President of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he immediately offered the GM job to Pridham. When Pridham declined Dubas named himself GM, which means that his only candidate besides himself was his former assistant. That’s high praise, whether you value Dubas’ opinion or not.
With experienced GM’s there are also issues.
Let’s start with the easy question. Why is this experienced GM even available? I’m sure it’s not because their previous organization was so successful that they just had to leave.
Only TWO (yes, TWO!!) GM’s in the history of the NHL have won the Stanley Cup with more than one franchise. They are Jim Rutherford with the Carolina Hurricanes (2006) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017) and Tommy Gorman, with the Chicago Blackhawks (1934) and Montreal Maroons (1935). Needless to say, when you have to go back almost 100 years to name one of two of the GMs that have accomplished something, it’s pretty rare.
With that in mind, is Doug Armstrong, who won the Cup with St. Louis, your guy? How about Dean Lombardi, whose name has popped up all of a sudden and has won with the L.A. Kings? If you want to talk about hiring a president then maybe they’re the people you look at, but it’s starting to become apparent that rookie GMs with a lot of background can push your team to unexpected and successful places.
Bill Zito did that in Florida, Kelly McCrimmon did it in Vegas a few years after declining the Maple Leafs’ offer to join their management team and Julien Brisebois has done it in Tampa.
After having Kyle Dubas walk in as a rookie GM, similar to what those three did, I feel like fans and management may not favour going that route again so soon, but I’m willing to be wrong.
Is there a happy medium? Let’s take as quick of a look as possible.
Doug Armstrong
I’m starting with Armstrong because I simply don’t believe he is the guy for the job, but everybody is pointing at him. Where there’s smoke there’s fire or some such nonsense.
It’s believed that Armstrong wants the dual role of President and GM. That alone would be enough for me to decline his services. If you are making demands before you even walk in the door, your attitude and ego are already getting in the way of doing the job properly.
The thing with Armstrong is he’s been doing this for decades. He helped build a successful Dallas team and was the GM there when they drafted the likes of Jamie Benn and Trevor Daley. His history of trades and drafting is so extensive that it’s tough to cover in just a few paragraphs. Some recent highlights on the positive side include offer sheeting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, then of the Edmonton Oilers, who have turned in quality performances for the Blues so far.
He was also in the GM chair when they traded for the likes of Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn, while also drafting Colton Parayko, Tage Thompson, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Jordan Binnington, Ivan Barbashev and more, that helped push that team to a Stanley Cup victory.
On the flip side, he traded for Kevin Hayes and almost a calendar year later, to the day, he traded a 2nd round pick along with Hayes to get rid of his contract. He traded Tage Thompson in the Ryan O’Reilly deal, which worked out, but Thompson has turned into a very valuable player. Needless to say, if they didn’t win the Cup when they did, that would have fallen into the “massive blunder” category.
What Armstrong appears to be best at lately is acquiring future assets for his players. He landed a haul from the Leafs for an expiring Ryan O’Reilly and more recently he obtained 1st and 3rd round picks for each of Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. That, above all else, could be a valuable asset if Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly are to exit the Leafs’ organization via trade.
He most certainly has the experience required to run a franchise. However, the Blues haven’t exactly been a powerhouse under his tenure. If anything, they simply got very, very hot at the right time and stayed hot right through to winning the Stanley Cup. I know that’s looking at a very positive thing in a very negative light, but outside of that run of games the Blues simply haven’t been all that successful.
Dean Lombardi
I saw his name and thought “please, just don’t” but this may be a shrewd candidate.
Lombardi has always placed emphasis on drafting and developing and has four separate picks that have played 1,000 NHL games or more (Drew Doughty, Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Trevor Lewis), with dozens having played 250+ NHL games. Some players that are still in the NHL that were drafted under Lombardi’s watch include Eric Cernak, Adrien Kempe, Matt Roy, Colin Miller, Nicholas Deslauriers, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. What he appears to be best at, in terms of drafting, is extracting very good supporting pieces. He has only ever made 3 selections in the top 5 of the draft, they were Thomas Hickey, Drew Doughty and Brayden Schenn and only Doughty turned into a legitimate top line player, so one could argue that drafting high hasn’t been a strong point (not that you want your team drafting high very often).
In terms of trades it was Lombardi that brought the final pieces to the Kings when they won their Stanley Cups. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter stand as the biggest additions to that team, with Dustin Penner coming in as a clear 3rd. However, once it was clear that they were truly ready to contend, he continued to add players such as Marion Gaborik, Andrej Sekera, Milan Lucic, Vincent Lecavalier, Luke Schenn, Kris Versteeg and more.
The blend of skill and grit that his teams contained is what I like the most. It’s exactly what the Leafs are missing. If you want a culture change that’s geared towards players that don’t allow their captain to get kneed without retribution, Lombardi might just be your guy.
Hayley Wickenheiser
Her name is out there as an option and she has been an assistant GM in Toronto for 5 years now.
However, she wasn’t appointed as an Interim GM, that honour went to Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy, which tells me that Keith Pelley doesn’t view her as a true candidate. She’s building her resume and her time will come, it’s just not now.
Brandon Pridham
Now the co-interim GM, it’s possible that how Pridham conducts himself over the next few weeks could land him the job permanently. He’s paid his dues and has done so in the Leafs’ system. Again, it’s impossible to really talk about how good he might be, but the Insiders consistently name him as a future GM. If that isn’t in Toronto, it will most certainly be somewhere else. It’s also been reported that the reason he has stuck it out in Toronto for so long is because he’s the most handsomely paid A-GM in the NHL.
I wonder, after watching Kyle Dubas go all-in on skill and speed, followed by Brad Treliving going over the top with big and slow, is Pridham screaming “why can’t these guys find a balance like I’ve been saying” inside his head? I know that’s what I’ve been asking for.
Ryan Hardy
The current GM of the Toronto Marlies, Hardy has some experience running a team. What’s also worth pointing out is that GMs that have graduated from their AHL affiliates tend to give chances to the players within the system, at least to start their tenure’s. I wonder if there are any hidden gems in the AHL that could suit up in bottom 6 or bottom pairing roles? Ryan Hardy would know. Like Pridham, how he conducts himself over the next few weeks could lead to him getting the job.
Mike Gillis
Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Leafs have looked at Mike Gillis for the role. I could do an in depth review of this one but I’ll try to keep it short. When Gillis took over the Vancouver Canucks, which is his only GM experience, they were a flailing club. They had key pieces in place, which included the Sedin twins, Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows. However, he elected to let long time Canuck, Markus Naslund (he was also Naslund’s agent before this) walk in free agency, citing a deep need for change. He added defensemen such as Alex Edler, Christian Ehrhoff and Mikael Samuelsson, centre Manny Malhotra and re-signed key pieces, which ultimately lead to them coming to within a single win of taking home the Stanley Cup.
By the time he was let go at the end of the 2013-14 season, Gillis was fighting for major changes to the Canucks roster. It’s believed that he wanted to cut deep into the core of their team in order to secure long term success. Owner Francesco Aquilini, however, wouldn’t allow it, stepping in to nix some trades that would have brought multiple first round picks and prospects back to Vancouver.
What I like about Gillis is that, even though he was submerged in the team, he could see the route to success. Vancouver never rebounded since that time, but may have had an easier route back to contention had he been allowed to rebuild the roster as he wished. I believe that the same thing must be done in Toronto, which makes me think that Gillis would be a fit in that sense. The rumoured return for players such as Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows (they were subsequently sold for less than what Gillis was rumoured to be able to receive) also makes me believe that he can subtract top dollar for good players, which will be a must for the Leafs over the next couple of seasons and is something that Brad Treliving failed at miserably.
At the draft table I can’t say there was a lot of success under his tenure, but the Canucks weren’t drafting high at the time either. He was the GM that traded Cory Schneider to New Jersey for the 9th overall selection, which was used to draft Bo Horvat. Aside from Horvat he made 4 other picks in the 1st round during his tenure and the most successful of those was Cody Hodgson, who played 328 games in the NHL. While the draft has a lot to do with the scouts you employ, certain GMs do have a knack for walking away with more NHLers than others and Gillis has a solid “F” in that category.
Overall, it’s very tough to say what Gillis would be like as a GM right now. He hasn’t been in that role for over 10 years and didn’t have any experience before he stepped in to run the Canucks. The core that was in place there simply had to be surrounded by good pieces, which makes me think he would have been a better option at the time of Treliving’s hiring, rather than now. What kind of core he’d build, without restraint, is anybody’s guess, when you consider that the team he did run already had an established group of stars. Also, if he did push to rebuild, how good would he be at the draft table? It’s imperative to be able to obtain players from all over the draft if you want to avoid a 10+ year rebuild.
What is known is that he had the ability to attract good veteran players, his trades made sense and he is a guy that has the ability to use data to make decisions, which the Leafs brass will value going forward. He also traded for Manny Malhotra and has success with him on the team. I do wonder if Gillis would look
Mark Hunter
The Hunter brothers are said to be very adept at drafting, but during Mark’s time in Toronto there were some serious blunders made. The biggest of which was taking Egor Korshkov with the first pick of the 2nd round, leaving Alex Debrincat and Jordan Kyrou on the board. This would be forgivable if not for the fact that everybody was screaming for the Leafs to pick Debrincat in between Day 1 and Day 2 of the draft. How can thousands of fans and media members get it right, while pro scouts get it so wrong? During that time success at the draft was pivotal to the teams long term success, but they missed on a lot of picks that should have been layups.
With that said, it’s impossible to deny the success of the London Knights, where Mark has been the long term GM. With brother Dale as the coach the team has won multiple championships and hail as one of the best run Junior teams in the game. If given the opportunity and a long leash, I do wonder if success would follow. Lastly, you would have to believe that Dale would be the Head Coach to start next season if Mark were given the keys to the Cadillac. Make of that what you will.
Chris Pronger
Pronger’s name has been linked to the Leafs mostly from fans, but he’s an interesting option to serve in some type of role for the team. His only managerial experience comes in the form of being a senior advisor for the Florida Panthers. One thing is for certain, he isn’t impressed with the makeup of the Leafs and their inability to play as a team. He’d lobby for major changes and I’m of the belief that major changes are needed, so that makes me like him.
It’s unlikely that he’d land the GM or President job, considering there are so many, more qualified individuals that would want it, but I’d strongly encourage the team to take him on as an Assistant GM, Senior Advisor or within another role, to begin grooming him for more in the future.
Ryan Getzlaf
Getzlaf works for the Department of Player Safety, so we know he’s terrible at his job (HA!!). It is expected that he’ll move into front office work at some point, the question is more about which team offers him a position that he’d covet. Like Brendan Shanahan before him, it’s possible that a role other than General Manager would be more suited to his work experience, but I would find him a very interesting choice for the role. He was a very respected player, both on and off the ice, I can only assume that would continue into his career in management.
Ron Francis
This may be my favourite option, if I’m being honest. Ron Francis brings it all to the table. He has experience as a GM, President, NHL player, has made some great trades for his clubs and selected great players in the draft. He also hasn’t won a Cup as a GM, which is apparently a good thing, who knew? Lastly, he ended his playing career in Toronto and loved the few games he played as a Leaf. He grew up a fan of the team and would do right by the club, above all else.
He started his GM career in Carolina, after playing the vast majority of his career there. While in the GM chair they drafted the likes of Sebastian Aho, Noah Hanifin, Martin Necas and former Maple Leaf, Nicholas Roy. He built the foundation of the current team, essentially, but they could never solve their goaltending issues and didn’t get over the proverbial hump with him in charge.
From there he moved on to the Seattle Kraken, where he was their inaugural GM. Once again he laid the groundwork for the club to have success. He drafted the likes of Matthew Beniers, Shane Wright, Ryker Evans and Berkley Catton, while also obtaining and/or signing Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann and many more. While a lot of the valuable pieces he has obtained are still in the development stage, the team is set up for long term success.
In April of 2025 he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations, with Jason Botterill taking over as Seattle’s GM. The rumour is that Francis would welcome the opportunity to shape another club’s roster, but wouldn’t move for just any team.
Luckily, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t just any team.
If he were to be the next GM in Toronto, the fans would have to strap in for a slow, steady rebuild. Francis is a methodical manager that builds through the draft and develops players well. However, he’s also a shrewd trade negotiator. He received a pair of 1st round selections for Oliver Bjorkstrand (he traded for him at the cost of a 3rd and 4th), a 2nd round selection for Brandon Tanev, two 2nds and a 3rd for Mark Giordano and has managed to avoid paying large sums for depth players, which has been the Leafs’ Achilles heel for years now. He has never really traded for a star player, which is both good and concerning, depending on how you view it. The best way to obtain those individuals is via the draft, which is something he has done at least.
There’s always been an emphasis on a mix of skill and grit throughout his rosters, but more than anything he’s a defense first GM. Depth on the blueline and at the centre position is a constant theme for him and that, to me, is how you build a team. Outside of that, I’d describe his rosters as the epitome of two-way hockey, while leaning more on the skilled side than being heavy, hard hitting groups.
There are so many options that it’s impossible to cover them all. I’m sure I’ll write more on this as the rumours fly over the next few weeks. In the meantime, let me know who your top pick would be to steer the ship moving forward.