Two more GM candidates linked to the Leafs by a trusted NHL Insider; both would be controversial
The Leafs have plenty of business to conduct this summer, so the sooner they can get someone in place to fill their current GM vacancy, the better. The team has been linked to several veteran candidates thus far, but according to Elliotte Friedman, there are two more names we should keep an eye on.
Per Friedman on his most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, one of the names that he has been hearing who could interest the Leafs is former Leafs AGM Mark Hunter. As far as his previous tenure goes, he did draft Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Timothy Liljegren and Joseph Woll, but he didn't have much success on the draft floor to speak of beyond that.
Hunter and now ex-Leafs GM Kyle Dubas both held the AGM titles under Lou Lamoriello while he was at the helm in Toronto, but once Dubas was promoted, both Lou and Hunter chose to leave the franchise. Now that the GM job is up for grabs in Toronto, could we see Hunter get the shot that he never got back in 2018?
Another name that Friedman brought up was former Habs GM Marc Bergevin. One attractive quality about Bergevin is that he dealt with the media pressure in a hockey hotbed before in Montreal. There's no question that he could handle the pressure of being the Leafs' next GM. The only questions here are; would Bergevin consider pursuing an opportunity with the Leafs and would the Leafs take a chance on Bergevin following the fallout from his involvement in the Kyle Beach saga in Chicago.
For those who may be unaware, Bergevin was the director of player personnel for the Hawks back in 2010, but claimed during an investigation that he had no knowledge of the incident involving Brad Aldrich and then prospect Kyle Beach where Beach was lured to his home and sexually assaulted by Aldrich under the threat of ruining his career if the young forward didn't go along with things. Given Bergevin's position within the organization at the time being directly affiliated with the players, most find it highly unlikely that he had no knowledge and believe that it's far more likely that he was a part of the group that intended to keep things quiet. I don't believe an individual with character issues like that should even be considered for the gig, personally.
Thankfully, as of this moment, Bergevin's connection to the Leafs is purely speculative. There's nothing actually linking him to the team just yet other than Friedman's suggestion that his name may come up at some point during the GM search.
| POLL | ||
MAI 22 | 1780 ANSWERS Two more GM candidates linked to the Leafs by a trusted NHL Insider; both would be controversial How would you feel if the Leafs brought back Mark Hunter? | ||
| I'd be open to the idea | 993 | 55.8 % |
| I'd hate the move, personally | 447 | 25.1 % |
| I'd wait to judge him until he's made moves | 340 | 19.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
