Ever since Dave Nonis was fired, our trio of Brendan Shanahan, Kyle Dubas, and Mark Hunter have all sort of been acting as GM. For each signing, trade, or hiring to date, Hunter and Dubas would scout the player/staff member, and then they would give their information to Brendan Shanahan, who would then analyse it and make the announcement. This, in my eyes, is one of the best teams of management the Leafs have had so far, and it's a huge step up from the Burke, Nonis, Poulin, and Loiselle era. Shanahan announced yesterday that they would not name a GM prior to the draft, which means most likely that the trio would run the draft and announce any draft picks or trades throughout the two day process. That being said, they would still like to name a GM after the draft, so in this article, we take a look at the top 3 running canidates for Leafs GM, and what each of them could bring to the table.
1. Mike Futa (Assistant GM of the Los Angeles Kings)
When you're looking to hire a GM, you don't always have to look at the canidates that have previously managed an NHL team. There are plenty of GM's in the league that were assistant GM's at one point, and then went on to make the next step in their careers and become full time managers. A couple of these people include Canucks GM Jim Benning, Stars GM Jim Nill, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney. Futa has a great track record when it comes to scouting players that would eventually be drafted, such as franchise defenseman Drew Doughty, and regular players such as Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli, Wayne Simmonds, and Brayden Schenn. Futa was being looked at by other teams as a possible GM canidate before being promoted. If Futa wants to take that next step in becoming a full time GM, he could very well be a front runner to take over as the next general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2. George McPhee (Former GM of the Washington Capitals)
George McPhee is usually only remembered for an extremely infamous trade he made in 2013, sending prospect Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Martin Erat and Michael Latta. Forsberg went on to lead the Nashville Predators in points in his first full year of competition, with 63 points in 82 games, while Martin Erat recorded only 26 points in 62 games for the Capitals. Don't let this trade scare you away, though, because McPhee has a very good drafting record on his resume. He drafted franchise player Alexander Ovechkin, along with Nicklas Backstrom, Karl Alzner, Semyon Varlamov, John Carlson, Filip Forsberg, and Andre Burakovsky. All in all, he's responsible for most of the Capital's current roster, and even if he were to try and make a trade as brutal as the Forsberg-Erat exchange, there is no way it would pass through Shanahan, Dubas, and Hunter.
3. Mark Hunter (Current Director of Player Personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs)
One name that kept popping up as the next Leafs general manager is Mark Hunter. He took a poor excuse of a London Knights franchise and turned them into one of the most dangerous teams in the OHL during his tenure as Knights GM. New head coach Mike Babcock was pushing hard for Hunter to be named next GM, with him already pretty much serving as interim GM, and with the Leafs possibly to hire Kelly McCrimmon as a scout, Hunter wouldn't leave a gaping hole with his stellar scouting abilities. McCrimmon has the best eye for talent in the WHL, and could easily take over as a scout. Hunter knows what he's talking about, and ever since he was hired in 2014, he has not made a single move he would regret. Towards the end of last season, Hunter scouted two youth players, inlcluding KHL rookie Nikita Soshnikov, and NCAA scorer Casey Bailey. Both later went on to be signed by the Leafs, and both show lots of promise. Hunter is a good scout, and every Leafs fan would be comfortable if they were to hire his as GM.
Well there you have it, Leafs fans. The third and final part of my "What comes next" Series. Who do you think the Leafs should bring in as their next GM? Weigh in in the comments below, and leave feedback.
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