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News that Cliff Fletcher will remain as the interim Toronto Maple Leafs general manager for at least one more year opened an intriguing situation aside from the obvious one.
The obvious one, of course, is what some of us have been flogging for some time – the Leafs are waiting for Brian Burke to be free of his contract as the GM of the Anaheim Ducks at the end of the 2008-09 NHL season. That is still the most likely scenario, at least in these eyes, but another one opened yesterday when Toronto sports lawyer Gord Kirke told The Globe and Mail “the most likely scenario is we're going to go through this coming season without a new GM.”
Now the intriguing question is what happens if Burke somehow does not make his way to Toronto between now and July of 2009?
The answer could be Doug Wilson, currently the general manager of the San Jose Sharks and the man who fired the Maple Leafs' new coach, Ron Wilson, after he failed to get the Sharks past the Western Conference final last month. Despite the firing, both men appear to be on good terms, with Ron Wilson (no relation) speaking warmly of his former boss at his introductory news conference in Toronto on Tuesday.
Doug Wilson could not be reached for comment yesterday, but the Leafs' search committee – Kirke and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie – have already expressed their interest in him. They asked the Sharks for permission to talk to Doug Wilson about their vacant GM position and were rebuffed because he is under contract.
Just how long Wilson remains under contract is not clear. Sharks president Greg Jamison told reporters last month when the Leafs came calling that Wilson's contract was “multiyear,” but Wilson has been vague on the subject. However, an NHL source says the Leafs believe Wilson will be in position next summer to listen to a pitch.
It could happen, since a lot of things may get in the way of Burke's expected ascension to the throne. For example, he is said to covet the Leafs job because of family reasons. One of those family reasons is that it would be easier for his wife, Jennifer, a television broadcaster who recently quit her CBC job in Vancouver, to get a media job in Toronto.
But what if Jennifer Burke lands a TV job in Anaheim between now and then? Maybe then, Brian Burke would sign the contract extension offered by Ducks owner Henri Samueli that's been gathering dust on his desk.
From Ron Wilson's standpoint, with a four-year contract as the head coach, winding up with Doug Wilson as his boss next year might not be a bad consolation prize. There are those wondering whether Doug Wilson did not orchestrate Ron Wilson's move to Toronto, but that seems an awfully improbable stretch.
On the Leafs' side, it is not hard to see why Kirke and Peddie announced they will wait until next year to sign a new GM. It was the smart thing to do, since they were still getting pounded for hiring a coach ahead of a GM, even though the Burke scenario is staring everyone in the face.
“Most of the [GMs] at the top of our list are under contract,” Kirke said. “Our information is there are several, you might even say many, who are possibly coming off their contracts at the end of the coming season.
“There's a pretty good free-agent market coming up.”
In other words, take that, Leaf critics. We do have a plan and here it is.
On the face of it, it's not a bad plan. The Leafs aren't going to be that good anyway, and Fletcher is capable of running the team for the rest of his 19-month contract so they might as well wait until the guy they want is available.
Besides, Kirke is right. There is a good list of GMs coming along. Those believed to be in the final year of their contracts or available by July of 2009 are Burke and Doug Wilson, David Poile of the Nashville Predators, Darcy Regier of the Buffalo Sabres and possibly Doug Risebrough of the Minnesota Wild.
You can also add Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes, Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings and Jay Feaster of the Tampa Bay Lightning to the wish list. Rutherford is thought to have an escape clause in his contract and so does Holland, according to a source. However, Holland could not be reached to confirm that. The Wings have already refused permission to the Leafs to talk to him.
Feaster has three years left on his contract, but with the Lightning's new owners turning the franchise into The Gong Show, he could be available.
