Lou Lamoriello Resigns as Devils Team President, Named Maple Leafs GM

In a whirlwind turn of events, longtime New Jersey Devils executive Lou Lamoriello resigned as team president Thursday shortly before accepting an offer to become the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Devils announced on their official website that the 72-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer was stepping down from his post to pursue other opportunities. As it turns out, that opportunity was revealed just a couple of minutes later when the Leafs revealed he had been hired as the 16th GM in team history on MapleLeafs.com.

James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reported the Leafs gave up a third-round pick to get Lamoriello.

Ken Campbell of THN.com provided comments from Lamoriello:

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I've always put a team together like an orchestra. It's about the music. If the music isn't good, everyone leaves. 

...

(Kyle Dubas) is a young fella who has tremendous abilities. If he's not a GM here, it's going to be his fault.

...

 I didn't really think about it much. I said to Brendan, it's not in my mind at this time.

"

"It's going to take some patience. It's not something that's going to happen overnight. I'm committed to that," Lamoriello added, via the Maple Leafs.

Campbell noted the contract is for three years, and the sites will re-evaluate after its conclusion.

Lamoriello said goodbye to Devils fans in a letter in the Newark Star-Ledger, according to Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger:

Lamoriello enjoyed a ton of success during his 28 years with the Devils, constructing three Stanley Cup-winning teams. The organization has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, though, which prompted it to hire former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero in May.

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Every coach I've ever talked to about Lou, and most of them have been fired by him, love him," head coach Mike Babcock said, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "I talked to 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.

"

That resulted in Lamoriello vacating the GM role while staying on as team president, although that may have been the writing on the wall regarding his time in New Jersey reaching its conclusion.

Following Lamoriello's resignation, Devils co-owner Josh Harris had nothing but good things to say about the man who helped carry the franchise to incredible heights, according to the team's website:

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Lou Lamoriello created and defined what it meant to be a New Jersey Devil. His brilliance in shaping this franchise into one of the most storied and celebrated organizations in sport will make him a New Jersey Devil for life. He represented this organization, our current and former players, the state of New Jersey, and the greatest fans in the National Hockey League in a manner that exemplified character, class, and dignity.

"

Lamoriello's focus now shifts toward spearheading the Maple Leafs' rebuilding efforts after a disappointing 68-point season in 2014-15. Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, whom Lamoriello ironically drafted in 1987, clearly feels as though his former boss is the man for the job.

"Things like making announcements with no one knowing their coming, I stole from Lou," Shanahan said following the announcement, via Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.

TSN's Ray Ferraro feels as though Lamoriello is a great hire for Toronto and what it is trying to accomplish:

There is plenty of work to be done in Toronto before the Maple Leafs can become contenders in the Eastern Conference, but Lamoriello has shown is ability to build championship teams over the years.

While there will undoubtedly be added pressure in a hockey-crazed market like Toronto, a grizzled front-office veteran like Lamoriello is as prepared as anyone to handle it.

It looked as though the Leafs were prepared to enter the season with a committee of decision-makers at the helm, but now that they have an experienced and respected general manager to steer the ship, there is reason to believe they are finally heading in the right direction.  

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