How would a front office that once pondered not naming a GM at all handle the addition of an executive who’s accustomed to wielding Zeus-like control?
When the shock of the Toronto Maple Leafs naming Lou Lamoriello as their new general manager wore off, people began wondering how, exactly, everything would work. It seems simple enough, though: Lamoriello will wield the typical stopping power of a GM, answering only to Brendan Shanahan, as TSN noted from his presser:
“That’s what I’m told,” Lamoriello said. “I report to Brendan. And the other people report to me.”
While Lamoriello noted that he’s “not going to be here for a lifetime,” the 72-year-old’s three-year contract is at least part of the argument against this being a transitional hire (with young assistant GM Kyle Dubas potentially taking the reins).
Instead, it sounds the future of that executive position is quite open-ended:
Lamoriello also seemed to imply that he didn't necessarily see this as a short-term thing. Contract term is three years.
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) July 23, 2015
Shanahan says the team will evaluate where things stand with Lamoriello after three-year window.
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) July 23, 2015
It’s truly been a drastic couple of years of changes with Shanahan in charge, as the team replaced Randy Carlyle with Mike Babcock, Dave Nonis with Lamoriello, seemed to do a 180 on analytics and even traded Phil Kessel.
As much as executives preach patience, it’s tough to shake the feeling that the drama’s just starting.
Babcock has an 8 year deal. Get your popcorn ready. https://t.co/lvqG0R0dFr
— Steve Lloyd (@TSNSteveLloyd) July 23, 2015
Here’s video of the press conference: