Could Yzerman be the next Leaf's GM?

[Zion 93]

You lost me at ribs.

Mmmm... riiiiiiiiiiiiiibssssssssss....

[OsGOD 3]

If its what he wants then more power to him! I won't be hatin' him for that choice to be a GM

[calfan 0]

I think ultimately Stevie will want a GM position and I think in time he will prove to be a good GM. I thought he did a pretty good job with Team Canada last spring given the number of players who said no (most fans on this site thought no one could say no but they did). Despite not getting the best of the best, he put together a team that could win. I think he has a good sense for talent.

I don't think he's the right fit for the Buds, but I think sooner or later he's going to take a position someplace and it might not be with the Wings. To a certain extent, the Wings is a no win situation. Holland has been great. The scouts are great. The Wings right now probably have the best hockey mgmt team ever. There's no place to go but down and even if nothing changed, it would be a long time before he would get any credit for the job he was doing.

[Barrie 900]

Out of Holland, Nill, and Yzerman, the only one I see leaving the organization is Nill. Holland is going no where, Illitch will make sure of that, and Yzerman is a God here.

I'll bet money that in a few years, Nill will take a GM job somewhere else, and Yzerman will be Assistant GM to Holland. Think about it, Nill, once Yzerman is ready, is the odd man out.

Concerning the Leafs, they'll probably get one of the best guys available who currently isn't under contract with another team. Anyone in a good position with their team i.e. Burke, Holland, etc. wouldn't even consider leaving their current teams.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Out of Holland, Nill, and Yzerman, the only one I see leaving the organization is Nill. Holland is going no where, Illitch will make sure of that, and Yzerman is a God here.

I'll bet money that in a few years, Nill will take a GM job somewhere else, and Yzerman will be Assistant GM to Holland. Think about it, Nill, once Yzerman is ready, is the odd man out.

Concerning the Leafs, they'll probably get one of the best guys available who currently isn't under contract with another team. Anyone in a good position with their team i.e. Burke, Holland, etc. wouldn't even consider leaving their current teams.

I believe there has to be a natural lure for any Canadian to be interested in taking over for an original 6 Canadian team. People completely dismiss the idea of a Bowman, Holland, or Yzerman ever wanting that Toronto job, but i really feel like there would be interest no matter how shaky the job looks at first. I wouldnt be shocked in the least to see 1 of those 3 jump over.

[Earthhuman 8]

These people don't just have solid jobs... they have homes, family(s), history, and are content.

If Stevie Y GMed another team, that would be my second favorite team.

[MacK_Attack 108]

I believe there has to be a natural lure for any Canadian to be interested in taking over for an original 6 Canadian team. People completely dismiss the idea of a Bowman, Holland, or Yzerman ever wanting that Toronto job, but i really feel like there would be interest no matter how shaky the job looks at first. I wouldnt be shocked in the least to see 1 of those 3 jump over.

The people involved in ending the Leafs Stanley Cup drought, especially the GM, get hockey god status.

It's a challenge, no doubt about that, but it has its rewards.

It's just a matter of getting the job on your own terms.

(Plus, let's not forget that Bowman had originally agree to take the job 6 months ago)

[Guest Crymson]

I wanted to come back with a bang

It's not completely out of the realm of possibilities, but I'd like to think he'd be smarter than that. TO is not a place to be a rookie GM, just ask Fergie. On the other hand if Stevie wants to be a GM, I don't think Holland's job is going to be available anytime soon. He might have to step out of the fold. Could be worse - could be Colorado

I doubt that Stevie, having no experience in the GM business and only 1.5 years of front-office experience, would be desirable to the Leafs.

[revnic 0]

if stevie leaves we should definitly take down his number.....

[2probert4 8]

weird... i had the EXACT same experience... really good ribs, and no volume on the tv...

and yeah, i dont like the idea of the leafs taking away yzerman or holland from this organization.. living close to toronto and being a wings fan forces me into an anti-leaf position

Rule of Thumb.....99.9% of hockey rumors that involve the Leafs, Leafs TV, Al Strachan, and the rest of the Toronto media are not to be believed until they actually happen. The Leafs think all players / coaches want to just drop their career and come there, even if they are in Cup winning organizations.

[Yzermania19 1]

...tsk tsk tsk...

...if you haven't learned how Mike Ilitch is by now, you'll never learn! HE cannot stand losing out on what he believes to belong to him. What happened in 1998 when Fedorov signed with Carolina? Mike Ilith said he never thought twice about matching ANY offer given to Fedorov. (too bad a few years later Fedorov crossed Mike and that also is a no-no.) For lack of better words Mike Ilitch pretty much owns Steve Yzerman (so he feels) and he would "one-up" anybody who would even try to take his "son" away from him. So even if the Leafs offered Steve a position and Steve showed ANY remote interest in it, Mike would turn around and offer him something in the Wings organization that supercedes the Leafs GM job. Eventually leading to him taking Hollands place as GM. Maybe even going as far as promoting Holland (in name) to something that is higher than a GM and making Yzerman GM, of course having lots of input from Devallano and Holland as well as Ilitch...

...Yzerman isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The ONLY way he would leave the team is if he ever felt that he was back-stabbed, under-cut or taken advantage of in any way, and then that would be the Teams fault not Yzerman's. (sort of like the Fedorov situation.)

I think you are absolutely spot-on correct here, both in your interpretation of Ilitch's feelings toward Stevie and Stevie's toward the organization. I'm not sure if I would use the word "own" in describing Ilitch's relationship with Stevie, although it is definitely more like a father/son than an owner/player. The Ilitch family really took Stevie under their wing (no pun intended) when Stevie first came to Detroit as a quiet, shy, somewhat naive 18-year-old and in a lot of ways, he is like an unofficial Ilitch. There would have to be a falling out of monumental proportions for Stevie to leave the Wings, at least permanently. I can see him doing his annual Team Canada stints but as for anything else, if he becomes GM of an NHL team it almost certainly will be the Wings.

Besides, I have heard interviews recently where Stevie says he is enjoying what he's doing now for the team - he is still learning the ropes of the business side of hockey and he's starting to take a more active role, especially in marketing. But his schedule is flexible enough that it allows him to spend a lot of time with his family. He has the best of both worlds right now. Why would he trade that in to take such a thankless job as GM of the Leafs?

However, I am available for thankless jobs - income, I have discovered, is a good thing. Anyone have an email address for Richard Peddie? Heck, I couldn't do any worse than John Ferguson...