Leafs beginning search for new head of hockey ops — The Fourth Period

The Toronto Maple Leafs started the search for a new General Manager and/or President of Hockey Operations this week after relieving Brad Treliving of his GM duties.

MLSE President Keith Pelley addressed the media on Tuesday and indicated that he’s open to the possibility of hiring a POHO and a GM, or strictly a GM, depending on how their search goes.

Multiple names have already been brought up as potential candidates, including the likes of Doug Armstrong, Mike Gillis, Marc Bergevin, Kevyn Adams, Chris Pronger, Dean Lombardi, Sunny Mehta, Brett Peterson, Chuck Fletcher and John Chayka, among others.

David Pagnotta and Irf Gaffar discussed the club’s search, as well as Gillis specifically, during Wednesday’s episode of the DFO Rundown Insider Edition.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a reach out, if it hasn’t happened already, but how far along that goes, I’m kind of leaning in your direction. I don’t know if that’s the definitive, legitimate option that would be available in this scenario,” Pagnotta said, when discussing Gillis.’ And Keith Pelley talked about making a blanketed, thorough exploration for whoever is going to head up hockey ops.

“I was there on Tuesday for that press conference and trying to see how he was juggling some of the words and whatnot. He didn’t dismiss the possibility of bringing in a President of hockey ops and then a GM. He kind of hinted that the six assistant GMs in place may not last much longer. So, we may see additional changes – and I expect, quite frankly, additional changes to Toronto’s management brass when somebody else is brought in.”

Pelley said on Tuesday that he had not yet, at the time, reached out to other clubs to seek permission to speak with any potential candidates, though that has likely changed as the week progressed and will continue to.

The sports head of MLSE also indicated that he would like to hire someone by mid-May, but added his worst case scenario is early-June.

Pelley also stated that the team, moving forward, has to find someone running the show that is “data centric” and suggested analytics will be a big part of the team’s retool moving forward. He did, however, also indicate that they need to have the right hockey-based experience in place, as well.

“He did mention that you have to have the right hockey minds there, as well. So, it has to be a marriage of the two,” Pagnotta said. “This isn’t going to be exclusively data driven, and it’s not going to be exclusively the eye test. It has to be a combo of the two.”