TORONTO — The first step in Keith Pelley’s quest to hire a new head of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs is complete.
The president and CEO of MLSE has hired Neil Glasberg’s The Coaches Agency to conduct the critical job search, Sportsnet learned Tuesday morning.
Glasberg and his team previously conducted NHL executive searches that landed Jim Rutherford in Vancouver, Pat Verbeek in Anaheim, and Keith Jones in Philadelphia.
“This will be the most important decision I make during my tenure at MLSE,” Pelley announced at last week’s press conference to discuss his replacement plan for fired GM Brad Treliving.
Pelley said he was open to hiring a club president and a general manager, or one candidate who could fill both roles. His preference was to have a new head of Maple Leafs hockey operations in place prior to the NHL Draft Combine, which begins May 31.
Maple Leafs assistant general managers Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy are currently running Toronto’s hockey operations on an interim basis.
“The No. 1 goal right now is for us to move as quick as we possibly can into an exhaustive search to put somebody in place to run hockey operations who will be able to make those decisions,” Pelley said.
The well-connected Glasberg declined Tuesday to provide details on the status of the Maple Leafs’ job search or which candidates are being considered, citing confidentiality.
A glimpse of Glasberg’s approach can be gleaned through his website, which stresses that “team management talent needs to be properly sourced, properly vetted, and evaluated based on competencies, qualifications and accomplishments, rather than by the breadth of their network of contacts. In other words, ‘who you know’ and ‘hire a friend’ mentalities should be a thing of the past.”
The Maple Leafs’ streak of making the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons ended last week, as they were officially eliminated.
The Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils are also searching for new heads of their hockey operations.
