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Toronto Maple Leafs: Lou Lamoriello Reshaped the Franchise

By Derian Carmichael

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 17 - Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello announces trade at the first day of Maple Leafs' training camp at the Mastercard Centre, September 17, 2015. (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 17 - Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello announces trade at the first day of Maple Leafs' training camp at the Mastercard Centre, September 17, 2015. (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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Lou Lamoriello leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs in much better shape than he found them in

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to miss Lou Lamoriello’s experience after the New York Islanders confirmed he’d become the club’s new president of hockey operations. The Islanders have been a dysfunctional mess for decades and are in danger of losing their franchise player John Tavares to free agency. With Lamoriello now in charge, the club gained one of the most respected men in hockey who’ll provide instant credibility to a team desperately in need of it.

What New York gained will surely be Toronto’s loss. Although the plan to have new general manager Kyle Dubas succeed Lamoriello has been in place for years, it’s impossible to replace the wealth of knowledge that’ll be leaving the Maple Leafs with his departure.

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When Lamoriello first arrived on the scene in Toronto, the team was a disaster. There was hardly a young core to be excited about for the team’s future and cap space was limited.

The team had recently fired coach Randy Carlyle and then mailed in the remainder of the 2014-15 season when interim coach Peter Horachek took over.  Meanwhile, fans were throwing their Maple Leafs jerseys on the ice to show their frustration with the organization.

Once Lamoriello took over in July of 2015, he observed the team until the new year before beginning to reshape the franchise. His first major move was in February 2016 when he dealt Dion Phaneuf’s massive contract for a bundle of players with a year or less remaining on their deals. The return for him was minimal on the ice but it cleared up significant cap space.

The Phaneuf move also dealt the Maple Leafs’ captain at the time signaling the official end of the previous era prior to Lamoriello’s arrival. Despite it being two years later, Toronto still hasn’t named a new captain as the evolution of the team’s and Auston Matthews’ development continues.

The second major move for Lamoriello came in June of 2016 when he acquired goaltender Frederik Andersen for first-round and second-round draft picks.  He’d then sign Andersen to a five-year, $25 million contract in what has become one of the biggest bargains in the league.

Andersen has been at the backbone of Toronto’s success over the past two seasons as its difficult to imagine where the club would be without the goaltender. Lamoriello is no stranger to understanding the importance of having stability between the pipes after winning three Stanley Cups with Martin Brodeur.

The former New Jersey Devils general manager would also be responsible for making the Cory Schneider deal, which prior to this season looked to working out well for his former club.

By having enough experience to trade the team’s captain in a massive salary dump and then using the cap space to acquire a top goaltender, Lamoriello completely reshaped the Maple Leafs. The drafting and development of Matthews, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander certainly expedited the process. However, Lamoriello’s two major moves kick-started an entirely new era in Toronto.

A rookie general manager would have been criticized in the city for a bold trade such as moving Phaneuf for not much value in return. Yet Lamoriello understood the value came in the cap space created by the captain’s departure. He also understood it’s impossible to compete in the league without a reliable goaltender, especially on a young roster prone to offensive giveaways.

By dealing the captain, Lamoriello handed the keys to the franchise over to the younger generation and used the cap space to provide them with a goaltender capable of stealing games.

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Islander fans should pay close attention as should Tavares leave in free agency Lamoriello may be in a similar situation to when he started in Toronto. One that would see him watch Matthew Barzal become the new face of the Islanders, as the general manager pieces together assets to find the club’s new franchise goaltender.

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