Maple Leafs Management Changes

Sep 26, 2022 - 12:00 PM

The Maple Leafs, like all teams, publish their team management list to their website. For the Leafs, they have a long list of management, scouting, training and other staff categories they list. You can find the most recent page here:

With 106 names on the list as of the start of training camp, that’s a big group. To see who left and who arrived, I compared it to the page posted on October 11, 2021 via archive.org. That old list had 94 names, so the list is growing.

First a quick look at who left:

Some of these people could still be with the organization but their role may have changed. In the case of one, which will be obvious if you look at the new people below, just their name has likely changed.

The meaningful departures to fans of the team, not fans of corporate structure are: Paul MacLean, Steve Briere, Jim Paliafito, Ari Vuori, Adam Nicholas and Barb Underhill. Beyond the goalie coach, most of the big changes on the management roster came in the scouting department which was reorganized and saw the exit of Paliafito to the Islanders.

The new names on the list now are:

Jason Spezza and Mark Fraser are here in their new roles with the team, and Doug Gilmour joins the Community Representatives list.

There are three new video analysts, five new scouts, two skating coaches to replace Underhill and some new names in various other departments.

Marian Agyei-Gyamera and T.J. Millar come to the team via MLSE’s coaching and development program.

Along with the changing faces, some of the titles on the doors have changed. Laurence Gilman has gone from AGM to his new title of Governor and Senior Vice President, Toronto Marlies, while Ryan Hardy is the AGM in charge of Minor League Operations. Hayley Wickenheiser is now an AGM, as is Darryl Metcalf. Some other executives in various departments have had either “Senior” or “Vice President” added to their titles.

The bulk of the staff that was here last year are still here — 76 names — and all of the coaching staff (with the exception of the goaltending coach) remain. There is a lot of continuity, and the staff changes are mostly more people as much as new people.

The new scouting departments run under Eric Joyce (hired in 2020) and Reid Mitchell are the departments that need to show themselves to be better. Collectively, they contribute to the players signed this summer, to the players who will be acquired in season, and to the players drafted in the future. The marginal improvements and changes to the roster begin with them.

But no one matters more right now than rookie NHL goaltending coach, Curtis Sanford. Because if Kyle Dubas is rolling the dice with Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, he’s also gambling on this new hire.

Elite Prospects

It’s not fair to judge him on win/loss record anymore than it is to judge a goalie that way, but he will be. Everyone on the management roster will be judged on this season, not just the GM on an expiring contract.