Toronto Maple Leafs lose Lamoriello, Hunter as executives leave roles
TORONTO — Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan says he knew once Kyle Dubas was elevated to general manager, an exodus from Toronto’s front office was all but assured.
That shoe having now firmly dropped, the club finds itself with some big holes to fill.
The Leafs announced Tuesday morning that assistant GM Mark Hunter and the team had mutually agreed to part ways, and less than an hour later the New York Islanders confirmed Lou Lamoriello, who had recently shifted to the role of senior adviser in Toronto after three years as GM, will be their new president of hockey operations.
“It’s always a sad day when you say goodbye to people that you respect and have worked with for a while, but it’s something that certainly does not catch the organization by surprise,” Shanahan said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. “With every organization, there’s people that are integral to the development for different stages. I think having those two guys aboard — Mark for four years, Lou for three — has been vital.