Winds of Change Persist: Lamoriello Resigns as Devils President, Hired as New Leafs GM

In another change in a summer of upheaval for the New Jersey Devils, Lou Lamoriello, the rock of the franchise for 28 years, has resigned as President of the team and has been named General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lamoriello had stepped down as GM of the Devils earlier this summer and was replaced by Ray Shero.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Famer was hired by the Devils on April 30, 1987 when he was named the team’s second President, according to a press release on the Devils official site. He was hired from Providence College in his native Rhode Island and became General Manager and President prior to 1987-88 training camp. The Devils would go on to make a Cinderella playoff run that season, going all the way to game seven of the Wales Conference Final before ultimately losing to the Boston Bruins, a measure of success that the franchise had never known before. This success would set the tone for Lamoriello’s tenure in the Garden State. Over time, the Devils would win three Cups, five Eastern Conference championships and nine Atlantic Division championships as well as the Patrick Division Playoff championship in 1988.

But Lou did not only win at the NHL level. The recipient of the 1992 Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer also served as GM for Team USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, which the team won and at the 1998 Winter Olympics (the first to feature NHL pros at the Olympics). In addition, during the time the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association and the Devils were both a part of George Steinbrenner’s YankeesNets group, Lou served as the CEO of the Nets. During his time with the Nets, the team would make two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. He served on the NHL Board of Governors’ Executive Committee as well. In addition, when he was with Providence College as athletic director and hockey coach (a post he held for 15 seasons going 248-179-13 according to the Devils’ press release), he led the Friars to 12 straight post-season tournaments. This includes a trip to the 1983 Frozen Four (as it is now known).

The Devils’ press release includes some amazing stats regarding Lou’s time in New Jersey. While he served as GM, the Devils went 1,093-779-268 for a .578 winning percentage (incidentally, he had the exact same winning percentage as coach of the Providence Friars) during the regular season. They went 136-116 in the playoffs for a .540 winning percentage. In addition, during the last two decades, the Devils had the second-best NHL records overall, going 396-275-110 for a .577 winning percentage in the ‘90s and 422-223-95 for a .634 winning percentage in the 2000’s.

Now, Lou brings all of this to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that has not tasted Stanley Cup success since 1967. He joins former Devils player and Leafs President Brendan Shanahan (who credited Lou at the Draft for teaching him a lot of what he knows about management) in an effort to rebuild a franchise that has missed the playoffs for nine of the past ten seasons. Toronto also has a new coach going into the season: the high-priced former Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock (who called the Lamoriello signing a “home run” for the Leafs organization) and have made moves like dumping perceived malcontent Phil Kessel. Will Lou be able to work his magic in a city that is notorious for its unrelenting press coverage, hungry for every little bit of news it can get from the Maple Leafs? Lou certainly cannot play it as close to the vest as he did in New Jersey with the Toronto media, that is for sure.

Another thing that comes out of this whole affair is that Lamoriello was apparently not as okay with stepping down as GM as he initially let on. Will Devils fans be able to cope with the change? If the season goes south, will the blame be shifted to Devils’ owners Joshua Harris and David Blitzer for “tinkering” with things too much? Will the inevitable comparisons between Lou’s style and that of Shero come sooner or later from the fans? These are real questions that will be answered in time.

One thing to keep in mind is how the team needed a change “as sad as that is” Ken Daneyko told Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Daneyko went on to say that the day is “bittersweet” in that while it is a fresh change for New Jersey, it is also like losing “your mentor.”

But Ken Daneyko is now one of the last of his kind. One of the fans’ last links to the Devils’ glory days, seeing as how most have moved on. Most know that this is a business. They do not call it professional hockey for nothing, but it still hurts on some level. However, the team was left in more than capable hands and has an incredibly bright future. The coming season will be a test, but no one ever said this would be easy.

Devils Head into Development Camp with Signings, New Look

In the heat of the summer, Devils fans already looking towards hockey season can get their fix with some news bits surrounding the team’s annual development camp, which has already started at the AmeriHealth Pavilion practice rink at the Prudential Center.

Among that news is that the Devils have come to terms with defenseman Eric Gelinas on a new contract. The new deal, at an annual value of $1,575,000 over two years according to General Manager Ray Shero on the Devils website, gives the Devils continued depth on the blueline. According to the Devils’ website, Gelinas led the team’s defense in scoring last year when he notched six goals. He had a total of 19 points (good for fourth amongst the defense corps). He played in 61 games last year (a career high for the 24 year-old, taken 54th overall in the 2009 Draft by New Jersey). Last year, he was second among defensemen on the team with nine points on the power play (ranked fifth on the team). His rookie year of 2013-14, he finished tied for third in the NHL among rookie defensemen with 29 points in 60 games played. Gelinas has 13 goals, 35 assists for 48 points and 64 penalty minutes in 122 career games played overall.

Another signing comes from a player who has yet to play a game in the NHL, but does come from a good pedigree. John Quenneville, the Devils’ first pick, 30th overall in the 2014 Entry Draft has signed a three-year entry level contract according to GM Shero. The 19 year-old comes in from the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, where he played in 165 regular season games and had 50 goals, 74 assists and 124 points over his career to go with 148 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he had 15 goals, 17 assists and 32 points to go with 28 penalty minutes in 28 games total. The 19 year-old native of Edmonton also represented Canada at the 2014 Under-18 World Championships (where they won a bronze medal) and Team Pacific at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (they won silver). He won gold with Team Alberta at the 2011 Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup. All of this comes from the Devils press release on their website.

After a successful junior career with Brandon, Quenneville comes to Jersey with a highly touted background. He is, of course, a cousin of the Chicago Blackhawks’ two-time Stanley Cup champion coach, Joel Quenneville (who himself is a former Devils player). He also helped lead Brandon to the WHL Finals and was named the WHL Player of the Week for the period ending April 26, according to his bio on the Devils’ site. He posted a regular season high goal and three assists for four points in a game on October 24 against the Kamloops Blazers last year.

Among some of the notables who are in attendance at the development camp include goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the team’s second round draft pick this year; forward Joseph Blandisi, Blackwood’s talented teammate on the OHL’s Barrie Colts; forward Reid Boucher, who has seen some time with the NHL club over the last few seasons; goaltender Anthony Brodeur, son of the great Martin Brodeur who comes to the team from the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs; forward Blake Coleman, standout at Miami of Ohio; forward Matt Gaudreau, New Jersey native and brother of Calgary Flames rookie sensation Johnny; Russian all-star Sergey Kalinin (forward); Michigan Tech forward Blake Pietila; defenseman Steven Santini from Boston College; and Damon Severson, a defenseman who has also had time with NHL Devils.

The Devils are looking to get younger throughout the lineup and the development camp is the first step to see who will be able to crack the lineup with the big club and where they will end up come October.