Hunter could be asked to fill GM role permanently
The Toronto Maple Leafs have found their head coach. Now, it’s time for them to find a general manager. That is, if they haven’t found one already.
While everyone from Los Angeles’ Mike Futa and Tampa Bay’s Julien BriseBois to George McPhee and Sean Burke have been linked as a possible candidate to lead the Leafs, there is ample speculation that interim co-general manager Mark Hunter could soon have the “interim” tag in his current title lifted.
If so, many believe it is long overdue.
“I think he’s a natural fit,” said Erie Otters general manager Sherry Bassin. “I pride myself on working hard. If there was one guy I could not outwork, it was Mark Hunter.”
“If I were in ownership and I needed somebody for my evaluation of talent, he’s one of the best,” said player agent Don Meehan. “When you’re talking about a cap system, you can’t afford to make mistakes.”
Hunter, who was hired as the Leafs director of player personnel in October, had worked as a general manager in junior hockey for more than a decade. Along with his brother, Dale, he helped build the London Knights into what Ontario Hockey League commissioner David Branch called “the centre of hockey,” winning three league championships and graduating star players such as Corey Perry, Patrick Kane and John Tavares to the NHL.
But aside from a stint as a head coach in the American Hockey League, Hunter has previously never worked in pro hockey. The question is whether the Leafs need someone with more experience.
“There’s a big difference in being the general manager of a junior team and the general manager of an NHL team,” said Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. “Being a GM in the NHL now is a complex job, with the salary cap and everything that goes with it. But certainly (Hunter) is a well-respected hockey guy.
“The background that he has, he won’t have any issues at all.”
The Leafs organizational depth chart is shaping up to be anything but traditional. Shanahan is at the top as the president and Babcock is at the bottom as the head coach, but the hierarchy flows more laterally than it does up and down.
“They’re building a nice mix of guys in that organization in terms of guys who have different experience and things,” said Rutherford. “I like what Brendan’s trying to accomplish there. Mark should fit into that very well.”