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Chris Pronger 'Interested In Having A Conversation' With MLSE About Potential Role With Maple Leafs
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- Chris Pronger 'Interested In Having A Conversation' With MLSE About Potential Role With Maple Leafs
The search for a new head of hockey operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs has officially begun.
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs confirmed what we already knew : they've retained Neil Glasberg, president of The Coaches Agency, to assist in the search for a new leader after dismissing general manager Brad Treliving nearly two weeks ago.
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In the days following MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) CEO Keith Pelley's press conference , where he stated the new hire needs to be "data-centric," a few names have surfaced as potential candidates.
Mike Gillis and Panthers' assistant GM Sunny Mehta are two of the supposed frontrunners at the moment. Toronto has reportedly received permission from the Panthers to speak with Mehta.
Another fascinating name that's surfaced is Chris Pronger .
The Hall of Fame defender has experience working in a front office, as a senior advisor to hockey operations with the Panthers. He's also worked for the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
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It's not a long list of accolades, like Gillis and Mehta might have business-wise. But if you put his front office experience alongside his playing experience, Pronger could be an interesting candidate for Toronto.
Pronger spoke to Sportsnet's Paul D. Grant this week in an interview about his memoir, Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors, which releases next week.
Within the interview, Grant asks Pronger about the Maple Leafs' position and whether he's spoken to MLSE about the gig.
"I have not been contacted," Pronger said, before mentioning he'd be interested in having a conversation about the role. "For me, personally, there's a lot more that goes into it than just the opportunity. What does it look like? There's a lot more to it than just, I get to do it. It's, What does that entail? ... Is big brother over your shoulder the whole time, right? How much autonomy do you have? And, when you set a vision and a plan and a course...
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"I would have the conviction. Do they have the conviction? There's a lot that goes into that. And that's why I talk about it, is it the right fit? Are they, whichever team, is that what they're interested in? And it might not be a fit, and it might not be the opportunity that we all think it is, depending upon a number of varying factors."
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Pronger continues, saying he'd need to have a conversation about what the opportunity actually is first, and what success looks like for the Maple Leafs.
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"What does success look like for you? For a team like the Leafs, for example," Grant asks.
Pronger responds, "Winning means you're winning it all. You're carrying the trophy around at the end of the day. That's it. That's winning."
The former defender goes on to discuss much of what happened this season, their past playoff experiences, as well as Auston Matthews suffering a season-ending knee injury and none of his teammates standing up for him in the moment.
(It's worth giving the interview a full read at Sportsnet.ca.)
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Nevertheless, Pronger's potential in Toronto's front office is rather fascinating. He doesn't need to be given all the keys to the organization, much like a president of hockey operations or a GM might have.
But he could be a good sounding board for the front office and bridge the gap between the players and management, much like Shane Doan did in his first year in the Maple Leafs organization.
Pronger is a strong hockey mind, and if you want to win it all, you need those types of people around.
