One of the main storylines we’ve been following here on Bleedin’ Blue has been the wild speculation that Doug Armstrong could be taking over the Toronto Maple Leafs suddenly vacant role.
While I don’t believe that Armstrong would necessarily bail at this point, I would like to highlight a crucial point why the current Blues’ GM should think twice before taking on a role in Toronto.
In short, the Maple Leafs’ GM role is a poison apple.
Anyone who’s ever held that role, at one point or another, ends up getting fed to the wolves of the Toronto media.
But beyond the evident ruthless nature of the Toronto hockey world, the job in itself is a minefield. The Leafs are set to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. They lost their star, Auston Matthews, to a catastrophic injury in early March.
So, the expectation is that the new GM will walk in and wave a magic wand to solve everything. Said GM, whether Armstrong or whoever, will need to find a panacea for everything that ails the team.
And if he can’t find that miracle cure next season, the pressure could come down even harder on him. Talk of a rebuild is forbidden. Even if the organization does undergo one, the wording will have to suggest something different.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Of course, Armstrong is a seasoned vet. He’s been to war and knows what it takes to succeed in the NHL. He’s not going to wither away as the Toronto media bears down on him. But you have to think that Armstrong might not necessarily want the aggravation of going through all of this situation at this point in his career.
It’s a tough road ahead for whoever chooses to accept the role in Toronto. For Blues fans, the hope is that Armstrong retreats to the upper-suite role the organization has carved out for him. But even if the siren’s call of heading the Maple Leafs’ GM chair, the team will be in good hands with Alex Steen.
The next couple of weeks will be the most interesting of all. The talk is that Toronto is moving fast. So, it will be incumbent on Armstrong to signal he’s in or out. That is, of course, if the Maple Leafs do actually come calling.