Former New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello will not return as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After serving as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past three seasons, Lou Lamoriello will not return to Toronto in the same capacity.
Brendan Shanahan, president and alternate governor of the Leafs, made the announcement on Monday.
.@MapleLeafs announce Lamoriello will not return as General Manager.
?: https://t.co/5JcFJCCnn1#TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/wltwn1gLKD
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2018
Lamoriello took over as GM of the Maple Leafs after serving as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils for 27 years.
This reassignment was part of Shanahan’s plan when he hired Lamoriello on July 23, 2015. The plan entailed him being the GM for three seasons and then relinquishing the position to take over as a senior advisor for the Maple Leafs.
“Three years ago, Lou and I agreed on a contract that would see him serve as General Manager of the Maple Leafs for three years and then transition to Senior Advisor for the following four years,” Shanahan said during his press conference. “This morning I informed Lou that I was not going to deviate from that course of action. I will now focus all of my attention towards making a decision regarding our next general manager.”
Lamoriello intends to fulfill the contractual obligation despite other general manager opportunities currently available.
The veteran executive will turn 76 years old in October and has been involved in hockey operations for over 30 years. Lamoriello could decide to walk away from hockey altogether.
It is unclear if there is a provision in his contract that would allow him to leave the organization should an opportunity to be a GM with another organization arise. Currently, both the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes are in the process of looking for general managers.
The New York Islanders are rumored to be looking for a top NHL executive to help with their organization. Lamoriello’s son Chris is the assistant GM of the Islanders and the chance to work alongside his son could be tempting.
