GM confident stars won’t slump
Lamoriello says young nucleus should get better
Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t sound worried that any of his impressive stable of youngsters — like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander — will take a step back or endure a sophomore slump.
“Let’s look at it realistically, you should get better,” Lamoriello said in an interview Tuesday. “But you’re also now not going to sneak up on anybody. People are going to be ready for you.
“First time around a batting order is a little different than the second. Attention is going to be different. There are going to be a lot of things different.”
In fact, the organization has kept close tabs on their players through the summer, and none were taking any shortcuts in training that could adversely affect their upcoming season.
“If the player hasn’t prepared the way he did the year before, (or) if the player thought they were ‘there’, or were okay, or they could skip a couple of days of workouts — maybe they worked out six days and cut it to four to play golf — then they’re in trouble,” said Lamoriello. “I have total confidence in our young players, the interaction all summer with Mike (Babcock) and the coaching staff, and our sports medicine group staying on top of everything, to make sure there is no slippage.”
One big difference the Leafs youngsters will experience this coming season is a more veteran locker room, with the additions of forwards Patrick Marleau and Dominic Moore and defenceman Ron Hainsey.
“The locker room is a very important place. It helps calm things,” said Lamoriello. “It helps in so many different areas, the intangibles that go into success. When you’re able to acquire one, two, three of those people, you have to feel good.”
All are in their 30s, all have been part of teams that made deep playoff runs, with Hainsey having a Stanley Cup to his name.
“We feel good, as a group, because of what we did see last year and the progress of our young players, and also the years our veterans have,” said Lamoriello. “We have made some quality additions as far as veteran individuals who have had success, know what it takes to win, and will be excellent mentors and role models. More importantly they can play.
“We feel we’re better. But every other team is better, too.”
Lamoriello said he was happy that Connor Brown would surrender No. 12 to Marleau while taking on No. 28, Brown’s number from his junior days in Erie. Kasperi Kapanen, who had No. 28, will take No. 24 if he makes the Leafs, the same number his father, Sami, wore during his13 seasons in the NHL. Brian Boyle wore 24 last for the Leafs.
And making the Leafs as a young player is no longer an easy feat. The Marlies again promise to be stocked with another core of dynamic youngsters, such as Jeremy Bracco and Carl Grundstrom, as perhaps players like Kapanen and Frederik Gauthier, who have been knocking on the door of regular NHL employment, move up to the big club.
“You never worry about a player coming up too late, you worry about a player coming up too soon,” said Lamoriello. “The good part of this: We don’t have to rush anyone because of needs.
“They’ll determine when they’re ready. In some cases if you have holes, you determine when they come. It’s a positive thing for the players and the organization to be in a situation where you have depth, and young depth.”
And depth promises to be a theme of training camp, coming up in a month.
“We have a group of talented individuals,” he said. “Our training camp will be very competitive because we have depth. Depth creates competition. The best players will play. The best team players will play. No matter how talented you are, success doesn’t come from individual play, it comes from the group.”
Lamoriello did not discuss Brown’s contract situation, nor would he talk about the plans for defenceman Timothy Liljegren, the team’s top pick in the June draft.
He did say part of his job is to make decisions that can be seen as unpopular.
“Winning is the end result of doing a lot of individual things along the way,” said Lamoriello. “Sometimes things have to done that are contrary to what the perception is. You cannot worry about that. You have to do what’s right with the knowledge that you have.”
Mentioning the Maple Leafs as Stanley Cup contenders would have been unthinkable until last year’s modest success. The promising season has the Leafs’ fan base looking for more than just “make the playoffs.” Lamoriello is well aware of the increased expectations.
“You stay focused on what you have control over: the team, and to do everything we possibly can to be as successful as we can. As far as what people think, or say, or what they expect, that can’t get in the way,” he said. “But it’s great to see this type of excitement this city really has, and the love affair they have, with their team. To me, it’s outstanding.”