Toronto Maple Leafs: What Laurence Gilman brings to the front office
After Brandon Pridham was promoted to assistant general manager, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Laurence Gilman would also join the front office.
It did not take the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kyle Dubas long to make changes to the front office after Mark Hunter and Lou Lamoriello left earlier this week.
The first move was promoting Brandon Pridham to assistant general manager, after he spent the past couple of seasons as the assistant to the GM. Then the team announced that Laurence Gilman would also be joining the organization, to take over Dubas’ old role.
Most fans know what Pridham brings to the table with his expertise with the CBA and salary management, but what exactly will Gilman be providing in his role?
Looking at his resume there is a lot to like about Gilman’s past experience in the NHL. He has made stops with the Arizona Coyotes (Phoenix at the time) then moved on to work with the Vancouver Canucks as the VP of hockey operations, as Sportsnet notes.
"“Laurence provides terrific experience to our management team,” Dubas said in a statement. “His 20-plus years in the NHL have seen him manage nearly every type of department in professional hockey and have success doing so.”"
However, his most recent role with the NHL was preparing the rules and regulations for the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft. Once that was done, he helped the expansion team prepare for the draft.
"“Laurence was instrumental in the development of our strategy,” McPhee told The Athletic. “He emphasized the value of our leverage, and how to use it to maximize a harvest of players, prospects, and draft picks.”"
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The Golden Knights were able to accumulate assets and draft picks for unwanted players, which gave them great building blocks for the future while getting a strong present core that will compete for a Stanley Cup.
Gilman also told The Athletic that when the time came for him to get back to working with a team, it would be a similar situation that he had with the Vancouver Canucks.
In that time, Gilman was in charge of helping the Canucks become a contender in the Western Conference, while also managing the Utica Comets in the AHL and other areas of player development.
This is how the Leafs explained what the 53-year-old’s role will be with the team.
In his role, Gilman will hold multiple responsibilities, including player personnel, managing the club’s player development department & farm system, and overseeing the organization’s top prospects as GM of the Toronto Marlies, starting in the 2018-19 season. #TMLTalk
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) May 24, 2018
Not only is this a similar role to what he had with the Canucks, but it is also what Dubas was in charge of before being promoted to GM. It is still unclear whether Gilman will oversee the scouting department, with Hunter gone.
The Leafs are certainly in capable hands with the 20-plus years of experience that Gilman brings to the job. Where his impact will be felt is with the already formidable Toronto Marlies team, that is one win away from the Calder Cup Finals.
Next: Leafs get new ECHL affiliate in Newfoundland
After many people questioned the decision to let Lamoriello and Hunter go, the team is showing there are many capable hockey minds out there looking for an opportunity and this one should bring some stability to the evolving front office.