Report: Mike Gillis 'Intrigued' By Opportunity To Retool Maple Leafs

Mike Gillis is reportedly interested in the idea of attempting a retool with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In an article from James Mirtle of The Athletic, he highlights a pitch Gillis wrote for the former owner, Mario Lemieux, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021, and debates whether a similar layout would work in Toronto now.

He adds in the story that, “According to league sources and those who know Gillis well, however, he is on friendly terms with Pelley and is intrigued by the opportunity that attempting to retool the Leafs would present.”

In the days after the hockey club fired Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) president and CEO, Keith Pelley, said the hope was to bring in a new “head of hockey operations” by the end of May.

“But if not, very early June,” Pelley said, “because you need to prep for the draft.”

There’s no doubt a laundry list of names who’d want to throw their hat in the ring for an opportunity to try and lead one of the NHL’s biggest franchises back to playoff success.

But Gillis’ track record would make him a fascinating name for Toronto.

As general manager of the Vancouver Canucks from 2008 to 2014, Gillis led the organization to back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.

It’s arguably one of the best eras in Canucks history since their inception in 1970.

“That’s a name that they have kind of looked at, and I can see why,” reported Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on The Fan Hockey Show on Wednesday. ” He took a team that was really struggling and took them to the edge of the Stanley Cup Final. I don’t know that it’s gonna be Mike Gillis, but I think that he is the kind of person that they’ve been looking at so far.”

‘Whatever Happens, Happens’: Craig Berube Unfazed About Uncertainty Around Future With Maple Leafs

‘Whatever Happens, Happens’: Craig Berube Unfazed About Uncertainty Around Future With Maple Leafs Pelley acknowledged on Tuesday that the decision on whether to keep or fire Berube is up to the next head of hockey operations, adding that, if a decision is made to move on, it’ll be brought to the MLSE board.

Since his Canucks tenure, Gillis’ name hasn’t been discussed too much in public circles. He served on the board of directors for Swiss National League team Genève-Servette HC from 2016 to 2018. According to Mirtle, Gillis also spent time as a business consultant for the NHLPA.

What we know is that the Maple Leafs’ next head of hockey operations needs to be “data-centric,” Pelley said.

“They have to really understand the importance of data and where data is moving,” he continued. “We have just completed a complete rebuild of TFC, all using data combined with cultural checks. That’s what we will do, and every single decision we make will be evidence-based.

“Evidence-based decisions are never wrong, and that’s not to say there’s not room for the heart, not to say there’s no room to check culture, but it’s all evidence-based.”

Why There’s ‘Zero Chance’ The Maple Leafs Will Tank To Move Higher Up In NHL Draft This Year The Maple Leafs currently have the eighth-best odds to land the first-overall pick in this year’s draft.

Whether it’s Gillis or any of the other names out there, like Florida Panthers assistant GM Sunny Mehta or St. Louis Blues president and GM Doug Armstrong, the Maple Leafs need to get this hire right.

Because if not, the organization could be going from a quick retool to a full rebuild, which it seems nobody on the team wants.

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