A move that no one saw coming outside of Devils management Thursday morning, Lou Lamoriello steps down from his position and joins the Toronto Maple Leafs
Being the top dog, short of being the owner, wasn’t enough for Lou Lamariello.
BREAKING NEWS: Lou Lamoriello resigns as President of the #NJDevils. http://t.co/8LwWMLqgli pic.twitter.com/LhsTTcvovz
— New Jersey Devils (@NHLDevils) July 23, 2015
Yes, Devils fans, the wise architect that helped bring success to New Jersey has stepped down as team president. He joins former Devils draft pick and team president of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brendan Shanahan, as general manager.
The #Leafs have named Lou Lamoriello the 16th General Manager in Club history #TMLtalk READ → http://t.co/gabNyzLRwI pic.twitter.com/huVOhgEYJl
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 23, 2015
Lamariello leaves behind an organization that saw three Stanley Cup championships, five Eastern Conference titles, and nine Atlantic Division championships. He was part of management that saw the team draft Martin Brodeur, Patrick Elias, and brought Scott Stevens come to the Devils from the St. Louis Blues in the early 90’s. All three players proved to be essential for the Devils to build around, and would soon form the identity of the team.
He’s been described as a tough negotiator with contracts and has maintained a “hard-line” with players’ values.
With his departure, this may have been the last of the Devils cleaning house. The product on the ice has been a shell of itself from their early successes, as of late. Despite making the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, the Devils haven’t put up much of showing. Even bringing in Jaromir Jagr, the team has not been able to replicate what made them a power in the Eastern Conference.
Under a new general manager with Ray Shero and coach in John Hynes, the team could stop living in the past and start rebuilding their reputation as a force in the NHL.
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