The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting a respite after their four-game Western road swing and will return to action on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals, who are still in competition for an Eastern Conference wildcard spot, followed by the second of back-to-back games at UBS Arena on Thursday against the New York Islanders in new head coach Peter DeBoer’s debut.
Once again, the out-of-town scoreboard was a mixed bag for the Leafs hopes of finishing in the top five, as the Seattle Kraken exhausted one of their games in hand and lost 6-2 to the Jets in Winnipeg. The Jets moved two points ahead of Toronto, while Seattle remains three points behind the Leafs, with one game in hand. San Jose moved three points ahead with a 3-2 win over Chicago. Currently, Toronto is in the seventh draft slot, one point ahead of Florida, and three points in front of the Kraken and NY Rangers, and have a 6.5% chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery.
In the conditional deal watch, the chances of the Leafs getting a second-round pick in the deal for Scott Laughton improved, as the LA Kings beat Nashville 3-2 in a shootout to move into the second wildcard spot in the West. The Kings must make the playoffs, and Toronto will get a third-rounder for the veteran center. The other conditional deal involves Matias Maccelli, for whom the Leafs would have to give up a second-round pick if he exceeds 50 points. After being demoted to the third line, Maccelli has slowed down from a torrid post-Olympic tear and has 38 points. He would need to get 13 points in five games to necessitate giving up a second-rounder.
Regarding the Leafs GM search, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported on Tuesday that the club has hired Neil Glasberg and PBI Sports to head the search for the new head of hockey operations. Glasberg represents a number of NHL team executives and head coaches as an agent, and is well-connected, but due to his associations, has been accused of having a conflict of interest in the past.
One of Glasberg’s clients is Florida Panthers Assistant GM Sunny Mehta, whom both Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek mentioned could be in the mix. With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Leafs have two competitors in the search for a new GM. The Nashville Predators are looking for a replacement for Barry Trotz, and after firing Tom Fitzgerald on Monday, the New Jersey Devils are also looking.
In spite of a lot of chatter that the Leafs are going to take their time with their search, the process of determining a direction has likely been ongoing for a month, so it could be possible that the club will have someone in place relatively soon after the end of the season. Toronto head coach Craig Berube will be in limbo if the Leafs wait a month or so after the regular season to choose an executive to decide his fate. Ideally, Berube should be fired right after the regular season, to insure a clean sweep and a fresh start.
Home › Forums › Leafs Hire Firm To Head GM Search
Tagged: nhl, Toronto Maple Leafs