Doug Armstrong is the championship architect the Maple Leafs need to oversee the entire front office fix
Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Doug Armstrong would make the best President of Hockey Ops since Steve Stavro, and he should lead by his example by hiring someone to monitor the situation — otherwise he may as well do it himself.
Armstrong's name has come up as a potential replacement for the vacant Maple Leafs President of Hockey Operations position, and with him stepping down from Team Canada and the St. Louis Blues; he's a hot commodity around the league.
With the ability to craft a contender, a wealth of experience in building rosters that not only last, but win along the way and a resume a mile long, Armstrong could transform the Maple Leafs if he were brought in.
But much like Stavro did back in the early 90's, Armstrong needs to come in as President and hire someone to do the dirty work. Stavro had Cliff Fletcher at his disposal, so who could Armstrong bring in?
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Someone who is a staunch loyalist, seeing as he's been with the Blues for the better part of two decades plus, not to mention being part of Team Canada's front office since 2002, Armstrong won't roll over for any situation and he's going to be looking at the bigger picture.
That means he could hire a GM like Brandon Pridham, who is already an Assistant GM with the team and arguably the best guy to run the show. He's been with the team forever, is the salary cap guru who was able to navigate a murky situation and he's being scouted heavily by other teams.
Rewarding a guy who has not only been loyal but also successful could pay huge dividends and as one of the smartest and most underrated minds in the game; he could make some magic happen.
But if he decides to go the external route, there are still guys he could get. Jim Nill may be available and it's hard to imagine a more powerful management duo than Armstrong and Nill as President and GM respectively.
While he was also discussed as a potential President himself, Chris Pronger is someone who has been linked to the Maple Leafs, is a completely new face, and has front office experience so he's not exactly a newcomer.
Really, Armstrong needs to find someone he trusts to let things happen. He's going to be involved for sure but he'd rather leave it in the hands of his GM and step in only when necessary (and at this point in his career, he wants a bit less work no doubt).
The Solo Choice: Maybe Doug Armstrong should just do it all himself
But that leads us to the final candidate who could change things in a big way — Armstrong himself.
He's known to take charge and make sure he has complete control over how he wants the team built and maybe perhaps for the Maple Leafs that's the best course of action.
Sometimes it feels like there are too many cooks in the kitchen. You have Brad Treliving, five assistants, a special advisor, a head coach and sometimes MLSE President Keith Pelley making calls.
That is way too many people with way too many different opinions and thoughts of how the game should be played, marketed, what have you. It's time to cut the fat and Armstrong pulling double duty solves that.
It's highly unlikely that Craig Berube stays on however if Armstrong were in charge he could actually give his former bench boss in St. Louis the proper roster he needs to have his system work. Maybe then he won't have to rely so heavily on Auston Matthews and he can focus on offence once again.
Though with him wanting to take a step back from having a large amount of responsibility it feels like he may not want to pull off both jobs unless absolutely necessary.
For a team who hasn't even sniffed the Stanley Cup in nearly 60 years, it may be necessary for Armstrong to pull up his bootstraps one more time, take the bull by the horns, and finally give the Maple Leafs and their fans something to be excited about.
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The Maple Leafs finally get their shot at Gudas and there’s no excuse left not to answer for Auston Matthews
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 27|1047 ANSWERS Doug Armstrong is the championship architect the Maple Leafs need to oversee the entire front office fix Who should be the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Brandon Pridham | 141 | 13.5 % |
| Jim Nill | 111 | 10.6 % |
| Chris Pronger | 390 | 37.2 % |
| Doug Armstrong | 405 | 38.7 % |
| List of polls | ||