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Cliff Fletcher wasn't saying much publicly Tuesday about anything except his plans for a Mexican vacation, which is as it should be. After being linked to a job that isn't even open yet — possible interim general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs — what could he possibly say?
Even to confirm interest would undermine the incumbent, John Ferguson Jr., who cruelly continues to twist in the wind. As a long-time member of the NHL general managers' fraternity, Fletcher would never do that. Too much respect for the position; too much history with his father.
But if Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment does get around to firing Ferguson before the end of the season, Fletcher would — in many ways — be the perfect choice as an interim replacement. Remember, he conducted a fire sale, under orders, in Toronto, once before — back in June of 1996, during the messy ownership change that eventually saw Steve Stavros in charge. Fletcher was asked to dump $5 million of the team's bulging $33 million payroll (seems like chump change now, doesn't it?) and he did so, by moving two expensive veterans, Mike Gartner and Dave Gagner, off to Phoenix and Calgary respectively.
In all his years as a GM, Fletcher learned how to spend when the organization was flush - and how to pare payroll when things weren't.
Yes, the business of hockey has changed since then — salary caps and trade gridlock were not part of the landscape - but the art of negotiation remains the same. If the decision is made to conduct a fire sale in Toronto - to clear out payroll and give whoever gets the job on a full-time basis, a chance to start over, with reasonable salary-cap space - then Fletcher is eminently qualified to do so.
The goal is to maximize assets — get what you can for non-essential players; determine if any team is desperate enough to take a bloated salary commitment off your hands; and complete the process with a pared-down depth chart that includes a quality goaltender and a handful of respected leaders to help smooth the transition from yesterday until tomorrow. Fletcher's history — and the fact that he is available now, not at some point in the future — would suggest that he handle the job about as well as anyone out there.
So then the question becomes, under what circumstances would Fletcher take the job — and wade into that unwieldy fractured work environment that gobbles up people at a record rate? First, the Leafs would have to come to an arrangement with the Phoenix Coyotes, where Fletcher last worked as a consultant; still gets paid by the organization; and lives pretty well in semi-retirement. There'd also have to be an incentive to get him to accept the job, beyond the financial settlement that they'd need to reach to get him off the Coyotes' payroll.
The one - really the only thing - that might get him to consider the Leaf option would be the possibility that an interim position could eventually become full-time employment.
Even the fractured board at MLSE understands that you cannot conduct a thorough search for a permanent replacement for Ferguson until June at the earliest. Right now, the most qualified people are all busy trying to win Stanley Cups for their current clubs.
Moreover, the process is complicated. If the Leafs wanted to talk to the top men in Detroit or Carolina or Anaheim or wherever, they would first need to gauge their interest in a possible move; and then get permission from the organization to discuss the job and the responsibilities and the chain of command. That takes time — and in the meantime, you've got a trading deadline coming up and then an important entry draft. Given the team's lowly position in the standings, the Leafs stand to get their best young prospect in decades in an entry draft loaded with front-end possibilities. So there at least two critical dates on the upcoming calendar that you cannot slough off — where you need a viable experienced hockey man making the decision.
Presumably, Fletcher would take all that on, if MLSE agreed to consider him as a candidate for the full-time position, once they put their short-list together this summer. It wouldn't make a lot of sense for Fletcher to disrupt his life for the next six months, knowing that there'd be nothing in it for him beyond the summer. The one thing about the recent history of the NHL — for coaches and managers - is that often, the "interim" title can be dropped, if the organization likes what it sees. It's hard to believe now, given how well he did, that Paul Holmgren was only the "interim" GM of the Philadelphia Flyers after Bobby Clarke stepped aside. The expectation was the Flyers would eventually conduct a job search to replace Clarke. Holmgren proved to them, in short order, that wasn't necessary. So if MLSE offered a carrot along those lines — the chance to turn a short-term opportunity into full-time work — Fletcher just might be up for the challenge.
