John Ferguson Jr. knows what it’s like to be fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
So the former Leafs general manager knows exactly what Brian Burke is going through right now.
When Ferguson heard that the Leafs let Burke go on Wednesday afternoon, it brought back some memories of his time in Toronto and how much pressure can come with the role of GM of the Leafs.
“It can be palpable at times if you let it,” Ferguson told Brady & Lang on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Thursday. “There is just a greater amount of attention, visibility, spotlight, support. In so many ways, at both ends of the spectrum, there’s no better place, no better fans, no better support and at the same time that attention can be cloying at times, and it is one of the aspects for players, managers, coaches that you need to feed and feed positively how you work and how you focus. … Somebody can be positive and at times some people, some personalities it becomes less than optimal.”
Burke, who became the Leafs GM in Nov. 2008, often talked about Ferguson’s time in Toronto and gave him credit for many of the moves he made, whether it was draft selections, trades or signings. Ferguson said he appreciated when Burke would credit him for positive moves.
“There are different approaches when successors take over. In the near term, very often, it’s very easy to simply blame your predecessor and that can occur. I have great respect personally and professionally for Brian. I’ve known him for years and consider him one of my mentors in the National Hockey League. There was a mutual respect there and to me it represents handling yourself with class.”
The Leafs are the only team to miss the playoffs every season since the last lockout in 2004-05.
Some have suggested in recent years, when it was obvious late in the season that the Leafs were out of playoff contention, that the team should have tanked the latter part of the season in order to secure higher draft picks.
Ferguson admitted this does happen in the NHL even if teams deny it.
“Yes it has happened. I call it the Prosperity Through Futility program,” Ferguson explained. “Prosperity through futility is not a strategy, but rather a default strategy when other things don’t work. There is potentially a reward of a really high pick (in the NHL Draft). At the same time, when you’re not truly trying to win it’s hard to underachieve.”
However, Ferguson also suggested that this strategy is not a viable option in a market like Toronto.
“That possibility of making decisions that would positively impact the organization for much longer than I would have probably been around, or anyone else attached, was raised and it didn’t get traction,” Ferguson said.
“There are other ways to build winners. There are teams that try to do it on the fly and augment immediately with free agency, and if you get the right pieces and have the right pieces in place it can happen and it can work, but primarily you’re looking at guys that are high in the first round as driving the bus for championship clubs.”
Ferguson currently works as the director of pro scouting for the San Jose Sharks, but still has fond memories from his time with the Leafs
“There’s always time for reflection and it was a tremendous period of my life. The experience could never be replicated and I learned a great deal from it. Toronto is a great city to live and work and raise a family in. It was a tremendous experience, challenging of course but exhilarating more often and rewarding in many ways.”
Ferguson describes the upcoming shortened season as “a sprint” and expects the playoff races to be tighter than ever.
As for the Leafs current squad, Ferguson said: “Randy Carlyle is very capable at what he does, clearly. They know what they need to do. The challenge remains the same, no matter what market you’re in, and that’s to get in the top eight in your conference and go from there.
Ferguson was the Leafs GM from 2003-08.
