Toronto Maple Leafs: The Summer of Lou Begins

On the first day of summer, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello not only made his presence felt by acquiring Frederik Andersen, he showed the hockey world that the Leafs are ready to build for the future.

After the Buffalo Sabres made a big splash by acquiring the rights to Jimmy Vesey, the Toronto Maple Leafs made an even bigger splash by acquiring goaltender Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s not necessarily about one-upping the Sabres, however. Instead, it’s more about Lou Lamoriello and the Leafs delivering on their promise that changes will be made to this organization.

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For Leafs’ fans, and even those involved in the organization, it has been a long road to reach this point. Just 18 months ago, the Leafs new brass led by Brendan Shanahan, Mike Babcock, and Lou Lamoriello declared that this rebuild would be different.

They vowed the Leafs would follow their plan. They wouldn’t rush things, and, most importantly, they would build this team the right way.

With the acquisition of Frederik Andersen, it looks like the Maple Leafs are officially set to enter the building stage of this colossal makeover, and, for the first time in a long time, it looks like they’re doing things the right way.

The front man doing the heavy lifting for Toronto, though, is none other than crafty veteran general manager Lou Lamoriello.

When Lamoriello came over from New Jersey, fans were unsure with how he would impact the team and their decision making. Well, without question, Sweet Lou has had a gigantic impact on the Leafs and the way they do business.

From the accumulation of draft picks, to the way he has handled the media, to the turnover rate of players, Lamoriello’s imprint is all over this Leafs’ rebuild.

Now it’s time for him to really leave his mark on this franchise and steer them in the direction he enjoys most — success.

Lamoriello said that he came to Toronto to build a winner, and now armed with an abundance of resources it looks like he is well on his way to fulfilling that declaration.

It’s no secret that there is still a lot of work to be done. But with Auston Matthews projected to join the organization this week, prospects William Nylander and Mitch Marner both expected to compete for jobs next year, and now a No. 1 goaltender in the mix, the Leafs look to be taking steps in the right direction.

There’s no guarantee that Andersen will pan out. But, for what it’s worth, the last time Lamoriello acquired a backup goalie, it worked out pretty well. For those who have forgotten, that backup goalie was Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Cancucks. Perhaps we could see a similar result with Andersen in Toronto?

Either way, what the acquisition of Andersen does signal to fans, and even other teams in the NHL, is that the Leafs are ready to build this roster with players who can contribute.

must read: Maple Leafs 2016 Prospect Rankings: No. 6-10

Like Lamoriello said when he arrived in Toronto, it won’t happen overnight. But when we look back at this team in a few years and critique this rebuild, the summer of 2016 will be a crucial period where we will say the Leafs took a step forward, or they took a step backwards.

The trigger man guiding the Leafs through this summer, Lou Lamoriello, will play an instrumental part in what transpires. Given his track record of success, and years of experience, the summer of Lou should be an experience Leafs’ fans never forget.

Next: Maple Leafs 2016 Prospect Rankings: No. 1-5

And much like the way you can never count Lamoriello out of anything, don’t rule the Leafs out of anything either. The no-nonsense 73-year-old general manager always seems to have a knack for delivering unexpected results.

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