Vancouver trying to poach Shane Doan is the absolute last thing the Toronto Maple Leafs needs
Photo credit: Patrick Breen/The Republic
The Vancouver Canucks are looking to interview Shane Doan and if they poach him from Toronto it creates a big hole in their front office structure.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs looking to make several front office changes, so too are many other teams; most notably the Vancouver Canucks.
After firing Patrik Allvin they are looking for a new GM and it seems like they have eyes on one particular Maple Leafs executive. Word out of Toronto via Elliotte Friedman revealed the Canucks have asked the Maple Leafs for permission to speak to special advisor to the GM Shane Doan.
Friedman writes:
Add a name to Vancouver’s hockey operations search: According to several sources, the Canucks asked Toronto for permission to speak to special advisor to the GM, Shane Doan.
Why losing Doan completely exposes a massive hidden crack in the Toronto foundation
Doan has been with the Maple Leafs front office since 2023-24 in the special advisor position after spending 21 seasons in the NHL, all with Phoenix/Arizona with one season in Winnipeg before they relocated.
With the Maple Leafs potentially losing Doan, that would mean they don't have any former players in their executive ranks. That eliminates a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, where Doan as advisor could give a player's perspective and provide better insight as to what a player wants or needs.
He was the guy who petitioned for Matias Maccelli to come over and while he wasn't perfect, there is still lots of potential and he has yet to hit his prime. Doan was onto something, he just new it would take a little time.
Right now, the only other person who could provide that is Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, but she also doesn't have the NHL perspective like Doan, so it wouldn't translate exactly 100%.
Why letting a highly respected executive walk out the door sends the worst possible message to the locker room
You're not setting a great example for the boys if you let Doan out the door because he was a guy who was so beloved, trusted, and respected that it's like losing a teammate.
If you're trying to convince Auston Matthews that you're trying to make things better, letting Doan walk isn't a great idea. You're leaving the team without the one person they can relate the most to and have a group of corporate names to run things.
You want to have relatability and coordination when it comes to a locker room and that extends beyond just the team itself. There's a reason why so many players transition into being advisors, performance coaches, or work in player development.
It's a way to not only keep themselves in the game, but give teams the perfect middleman who can help dictate the locker room to the upper management in an accessible way.
Letting that part of the front office go is a big misfire on the part of the Maple Leafs, and they'll need to bring in a heavy hitter to replace Doan if he heads out west.
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