I hope the Leafs choose White as their next GM and will Sundin become Prez of hockey ops?
Sundin is unqualified to be the President of Hockey Ops and this team is not serious about winning if he is hired for that role. Sundin would be a marketing and PR hire to keep the pajama boys in the fanbase happy.
When they brought in Shanahan, he knew what a Cup winner looked like from ice level but he had limited executive experience and did not have the required skills to be GM. But they wanted him to be GM. So they hired Lou. Once Lou threatened Shanahan’s place as President, Lou was pushed aside for Dubas, the glorified assistant GM who was there to do whatever Shanahan told him to do. When it was time to take the blame, they fired Dubas instead of Shanahan and hired another puppet assistant GM in Treliving. Rinse, repeat.
When you bring in Sundin, with basically zero experience as an executive and zero experience as a Cup winner, you’re asking for all the same problems all over again.
Sundin doesn’t cut it except to sell hope based on nostalgia. If they feel like they need to have Sundin in the mix for PR reasons, you put him in a position to at least LEARN before you let him take full control of the team.
President of Hockey Ops: Ron Francis
– Figure head, hockey mind, talks to the media, reports to Pelley, keeps him the fuck away from the team and has a direct connection to Rod Brind’Amour for future recruitment.
VP of Hockey Ops: Chris Pronger
– Learns the ropes as an executive, brings a great hockey mind to decisions being made, knows what a winner looks like on the ice, doesn’t build a pussy ass team.
Senior Advisor of Hockey Ops: Mats Sundin
– Learns the ropes of management.
General Manager: Ross Mahoney
– Runs day to day operations from contracts to trade talks. Understands hockey from the draft outward which is the most important key to success in this rebuild.
Director of Analytics: John Chayka
– Grossly overpay this guy to take the role below GM but give him the chance to be promoted if he succeeds. Runs all the numbers on everything.
Capologist: Brandon Prindham
– Keeps the Leafs under the cap, gives him more time to prove he can be promoted.
Assistant GM / GM of the Marlies: Ryan Hardy
– Continues to run the Marlies with the addition of more prospects for player development. Given the opportunity to be promoted from within in time.
Director of Scouting: Ryan Bowness
– Attacks the draft, rebuilds the Leafs farm system, another future candidate for promotion.
Tanking Head Coach: John Gruden.
– Tanks the team but allows you to play more Marlies.
Marlies Head Coach: David Carle
– Potential future head coach if you can’t get Rod Brind’Amour in the future.
Future Real Head Coach 2029: Rod Brind’Amour.
– Takes over the team of the future and runs them like a machine.