A brand new Toronto boardroom leak guarantees a first time GM ready to challenge the untouchable core
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
With news that Toronto is close to choosing a GM, their trio of picks tend to be all sharing the same trait — they're all going to be first-time general managers.
It was reported earlier in April that the Maple Leafs were going to waste little time in finding a new leader to replace Brad Treliving, and things quickly accelerated with multiple interviews and the team narrowing things down to Ryan Martin and Evan Gold of the Bruins and Rangers respectively.
However, a third name has emerged as Dallas Stars assistant Scott White has also been named by both Frank Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman as a frontrunner who is seen as the third person who could become the next GM of the Maple Leafs.
They're talking to inexperienced general managers right now as finalists for their role, Ryan Martin...and Evan Gold; quote unquote finalists for the job; I think there's a third...my hunch would be Scott White.
Scott White added to list of first-time GMs who could lead the Toronto Maple Leafs
All three men would be great choices given their talent and analytical mindsets, and the fact that all three have been part of building some pretty fantastic teams that have seen much more success than Toronto.
Though there's one interesting caveat to all of this — all three of them are heading into the job for the first time.
It would mark the first NHL GM job for Martin, Gold or White, and if the Maple Leafs were trying to go off the board and make serious changes then choosing one of these guys certainly fulfills that quota.
Martin has been part of the Red Wings and Rangers organization as a scout and GM for nearly 15 years meanwhile Gold is the architect of a Bruins team that constantly torches the Maple Leafs and helped facilitate the Fraser Minten deal.
Then you add White, an executive who has interviewed for the job in the past with various teams but managed to stick with the Stars and help build a powerhouse alongside Jim Nill.
There's a lot of motivation for a first-time GM to come in and make a splash, and the possibility of making a big blockbuster trade is certainly on the table especially if there's an onus from up top trying to persuade the new boss.
Is a first-time GM the right decision for the Maple Leafs?
If you're looking for a guy who is willing to shake things up in a huge way, you have to find someone willing to look at this core and go 'We need a change.'
Someone who is an experienced and older GM say like a John Chayka, Mike Gills, or Dean Lombardi would potentially look at the core and realize that there is still a great potential and instead of making a serious splash, might only make some secondary moves to build around them.
But it's hard to when one is a 35-year-old John Tavares, who is more suited to a 3C role, and you have William Nylander who is absolutely a superstar — when he wants to be.
The only almost sure thing is Matthew Knies but the fact that his name has bounced around in trade rumours also means that if there's a huge deal to improve the team top to bottom; he could be a casualty.
A first-time GM wants to make their mark on the league and prove they are the right person for the job. That's a heavy motivator and could be the catalyst for the sweeping changes we have expected since March.
It's time to pass the torch to a new face, because the old guard system hasn't worked in the slightest. A modern game required a modern thinker — not someone stuck in the past.
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