The puck may not drop on the new Toronto Maple Leafs regime for over two months, but coach Mike Babcock is already excited after the team brought in Lou Lamoriello as its new general manager.
It was revealed Thursday that Lamoriello stepped down from his 28-year post as New Jersey Devils president to fill the vacancy at general manager for the Maple Leafs.
Babcock had a very positive reaction to the news as he enters his first year behind the bench in Toronto after carving out a great coaching career, most recently with the Detroit Red Wings.
"Lou has been about winning," Babcock told NHL.com. "Lou is a guy who has pushed himself to get better every single day. I think a senior management guy joining our team, understanding what the vision and what the plan is, is a home run for all of us. Everyone concerns themselves with the team on the ice; the team off the ice precedes the team on the ice. I think we're set up very good."
Lamoriello brings a wealth of experience and success with him to Toronto, including three Stanley Cups with the Devils, which came in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
Babcock, who coached the Anaheim Ducks in a losing effort against Lamoriello and the Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, said he has heard nothing but good things about the club's new general manager from various sources.
"Every coach I've ever talked to about Lou, and most of them have been fired by him, love him," Babcock said. "I talked to [former Devils coach] Pete DeBoer the other day about him. He raves about him. Lou has got a way of doing things, but Lou is a smart, smart guy and just like all of us who are in the pursuit of knowledge and the pursuit of winning, we're sure willing to adjust to somebody who has a better idea. This was a home run for Mike Babcock."
Lamoriello comes to Toronto at a time where the Maple Leafs are taking steps to rebuild the franchise after they finished with a 30-44-8 record (68 points) in 2014-15 and missed the postseason for the second straight year.
President Brendan Shanahan has committed to a rebuild and he brought in Babcock and now Lamoriello to help oversee the changes.
One of the biggest things Toronto has done this offseason was deal Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a seven-player deal earlier this month to free up some cap space and help change the culture around the team.
The Maple Leafs open up the 2015-16 slate when they host the rival Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 7.
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