Leafs lose Lamoriello and Hunter

TORONTO Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan says he knew once Kyle Dubas was elevated to general manager, an exodus from Toronto’s front office was all but assured.

That shoe having now firmly dropped, the club finds itself with some big holes to fill.

The Leafs announced Tuesday morning that assistant GM Mark Hunter and the team had mutually agreed to part ways, and less than an hour later the New York Islanders confirmed Lou Lamoriello, who had recently shifted to the role of senior adviser in Toronto after three years as GM, will be their new president of hockey operations.

“It’s always a sad day when you say goodbye to people that you respect and have worked with for a while, but it’s something that certainly does not catch the organization by surprise,” Shanahan said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. “With every organization, there’s people that are integral to the development for different stages. I think having those two guys aboard — Mark for four years, Lou for three — has been vital.

“Making the decision on Kyle, is really in my best assessment, what I thought was best for the organization going forward into the future.”

The 32-year-old Dubas was promoted from assistant GM on May 11, a move that shuffled the 75-year-old Lamoriello to sidelines and saw Hunter, 55, passed over for a job he no doubt wanted.

“This was a likely scenario,” Shanahan said of the departures. “What was most important to me was picking the person that I thought was ready to take the Leafs to the next stage of development.”

With both Lamoriello and Hunter now out the door, Dubas will get an opportunity to shape his own front office heading into his first season in the big chair.