Speculation: Maple Leafs To Add Kelly McCrimmon to Front Office.

[McMatthews]

Steve Simmons (TSN 1050/Toronto Sun) mentioned that the Maple Leafs are looking to add Kelly McCrimmon to Brendan Shanahan's front office.

McCrimmon is the owner/GM/head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

He has been named the top executive in the WHL on three occasions and is the only person in the history of the league to win it three times. Simmons said that some people believe McCrimmon is the best evaluator of talent in Western Canada. The Wheat Kings went 53-11-4-4 and finished as the #2 rated team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).

The Maple Leafs currently have no GM and there are rumblings that they may name Mark Hunter (Director, Player Personnel) as the GM.

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[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Edit: should be on the Leafs board

Sounds great though!

 

[Paxon]

The Leafs are really putting people in place. I have to say I was pretty skeptical about Shanahan as well as the Leafs' commitment to really building something, but it appears like it might just all come together. The pull of Toronto is being used more judiciously than it has in the past.

 

[McMatthews]

Edit: should be on the Leafs board

Sounds great though!

I posted it here because I wanted to get feedback from Western Canada fans. McCrimmon is a high profile guy in the WHL.

 

[Brew]

Since being with the Wheat Kings, they have made the playoffs 17/18 years.


That's insane.

 

[McMatthews]

Since being with the Wheat Kings, they have made the playoffs 17/18 years.

That's insane.

The top two junior teams in Canada are Sault Ste. Marie and Brandon.

Kyle Dubas built the Soo and McCrimmon built Brandon.

 

[snizzbone*]

Love what Shanny and co are doing. Bringing in the best from everywhere.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Lol, still won't help em. All this will dissolve like the Burke era(Which was going brilliantly until Toronto Maple Leafs happened).

 

[CorgisPer60]

No! I like Kelly, and don't want him to leave. I don't see why he would this year, considering that the Wheaties are looking poised to take the WHL next year.

Edit: Also, it's Steve Simmons - one of the more useless MSM guys out there.

 

[I am the Liquor]

I posted it here because I wanted to get feedback from Western Canada fans. McCrimmon is a high profile guy in the WHL.

He is likely the best executive in the league. I dont see why he would give up what he has going there for a mid level management job, likely a volatile one at that, where he could well be wearing the goat horns should the Babcock express leave the tracks and go into the ditch.

 

[Morbo]

He is likely the best executive in the league. I dont see why he would give up what he has going there for a mid level management job, likely a volatile one at that, where he could well be wearing the goat horns should the Babcock express leave the tracks and go into the ditch.

I suspect the "send a dumptruck full of cash to your house" strategy will once again be employed.

 

[Jackson14]

Lol, still won't help em. All this will dissolve like the Burke era(Which was going brilliantly until Toronto Maple Leafs happened).

Gotta love these prognosticaters. The Leafs are quite obviously doing things correctly this time. They are using their money and clout to build a powerhouse franchise that not many else in the league could replicate. You can keep telling yourself that passed mistakes (made by completely different people) will have some bearing on the future to make yourself feel better but it isnt reality.

The Burke era was never going brilliantly. It started with a terrible Kessel trade and never recovered. He was also more of a one man show whereas they are building a whole management team this time.

 

[HarrisonFord]

Lol, still won't help em. All this will dissolve like the Burke era(Which was going brilliantly until Toronto Maple Leafs happened).

What does that even mean? How was the Burke era with the Toronto Maple Leafs going brilliantly until the Toronto Maple Leafs happened? 4:30am, I think you need to go to bed RKL, your Leaf troll game is better when you've got 8 hours sleep in you

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Isn't that Brad's brother? Brad was Babcock's assistant coach for a few years.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Gotta love these prognosticaters. The Leafs are quite obviously doing things correctly this time. They are using their money and clout to build a powerhouse franchise that not many else in the league could replicate. You can keep telling yourself that passed mistakes (made by completely different people) will have some bearing on the future to make yourself feel better but it isnt reality.

The Burke era was never going brilliantly. It started with a terrible Kessel trade and never recovered. He was also more of a one man show whereas they are building a whole management team this time.

This post is a little optimistic. Powerhouse franchise really? They're drafting 4th.

 

[Jackson14]

I guess you missed the 'build a...' part of that?

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

I guess you missed the 'build a...' part of that?

Ya no I saw it, still a pretty ridiculous thing to say. For all we know this could all flop. This wouldn't be the first time Toronto flexed their money muscles, and it wouldn't be the first time if it failed again.

 

[Jackson14]

This is the first time they've gone about things in this way. They flexed their financial muscle trying to accomplish quick fixes in the passed. They are building a franchise out of the best possible people in hockey in all areas. How that isnt a recipe for success I don't know.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

This is the first time they've gone about things in this way. They flexed their financial muscle trying to accomplish quick fixes in the passed. They are building a franchise out of the best possible people in hockey in all areas. How that isnt a recipe for success I don't know.

Buddy I've been watching hockey for a very long time, you don't know how many times I've heard "They're finally doing things right."

 

[Diatomic]

Sounds good to me

 

[ScottyBowman]

Buddy I've been watching hockey for a very long time, you don't know how many times I've heard "They're finally doing things right."

I'm with you. They made a fatal mistake by not hiring a gm first. That is the most critical aspect. This whole managing by committee thing is a big flop and basically you now have a coach who has the team by the balls with an unheard of 8 year deal. What's to say Shanahan knows anything about building a team? This is his first attempt and he landed a top 5 pick and frankly I could do that too. This will end horrible.

 

[Jackson14]

Buddy I've been watching hockey for a very long time, you don't know how many times I've heard "They're finally doing things right."

What is your point? You can do everything right and still fail. Doesnt take a way from the fact that you went through the process in the right way. I said they are building a power house franchise and they are. They are getting the absolute best minds in the sport in one spot.

 

[Jackson14]

I'm with you. They made a fatal mistake by not hiring a gm first. That is the most critical aspect. This whole managing by committee thing is a big flop and basically you now have a coach who has the team by the balls with an unheard of 8 year deal. What's to say Shanahan knows anything about building a team? This is his first attempt and he landed a top 5 pick and frankly I could do that too. This will end horrible.

***** like this that pisses me off that made me post in the first place. "This will end horrible"? How the hell do you know this? You write it as if it's some kind of factual statement.

 

[Steve]

I'm with you. They made a fatal mistake by not hiring a gm first. That is the most critical aspect. This whole managing by committee thing is a big flop and basically you now have a coach who has the team by the balls with an unheard of 8 year deal. What's to say Shanahan knows anything about building a team? This is his first attempt and he landed a top 5 pick and frankly I could do that too. This will end horrible.

I generally agree with the GM first thing, but name me 1 gm that wouldn't want Babcock. I would feel different if this were Guy Boucher.

Management by committee won't work, you may be right. No don't know, neither do you. You could argue that management through a president, gm then coach doesn't work bc 29 teams "lose" every single year.

Also you are right, who knows if Shanahan know anything about building a team, I 100% agree. But he's surrounding himself with people more capable than himself.

He got lucky with the pick, true.

I don't get the hate though, he's putting capable people in places where they know and buy into the plan.

Lastly, he's assembling a team of the who's who of junior hockey. He said he wants to draft and develop, i don't know how you could do that part any better. Results will tell the story.

We need a GM for trades and NHL level transactions which we don't really have no immediate need for at this moment as we are building.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Shanahan's focus is on drafting and developing prospects, and he's bringing in the best and the brightest minds from the junior leagues to do so. These are guys who have had some of the most success in the OHL/WHL with this exact strategy..

Not sure why some in this thread are comparing this to anything that the Leafs have done before.