There is a lot of uncertainty swirling around the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. On the ice, it hasn’t been pretty, and there could—and quite frankly should—be substantial change ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Off the ice, there are just as many question marks, with both the head coach and general manager seemingly walking on eggshells.
Craig Berube has a little more security, given that he’s only in year two of the four-year contract he signed to take over behind the bench in Toronto. On the other hand, the writing could be on the wall for Brad Treliving, especially if the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs, which has a 98.9% chance of happening according to MoneyPuck.
As a result, many believe the organization could very well already be searching for its next general manager, and former NHL GM, now analyst, Doug MacLean, recently revealed that the name he keeps hearing is Doug Armstrong.
“So you know what’s going to happen? Are they going to clean house? Who are they going to bring in? I keep hearing Doug Armstrong is going to be, could be the next GM. If you tear this apart, this is a long rebuild,”
The 61-year-old has served as GM of the St. Louis Blues since the 2010-11 season, though is set to step back as Alex Steen takes over the duties starting in 2026-27. Armstrong remains under contract with the Blues through the 2028-29 campaign; however, the reduced role could open the door for other teams to express interest in him taking over as their GM.
Doug Armstrong Blues Maple Leafs
Armstrong, of course, has a connection to Berube, having hired him in St. Louis back in 2018-19, which spurred on a magical Stanley Cup run. They spent parts of six seasons working together with the Blues before Berube was let go.
With recent reports indicating that the Maple Leafs have no plans for a full-blown rebuild and want to retool around Auston Matthews and William Nylander, Armstrong could make sense as a GM candidate. If all of this were to come to fruition, it could also signal the return of Berube for at least next season, despite that being something that a portion of the fan base may not be keen on.
There is still a lot that needs to play out this week and in the months ahead. That said, these conversations are likely to become prominent sooner rather than later, so MacLean bringing Armstrong up isn’t without reason.
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