Leafs Add Another Familiar Face To The Front Office
June 16th, 2008 by Steve
The Leafs announced the hiring of Al Coates today as their new “director of player personnel.” This is a bit of a surprise hiring as no mention of it had been made prior to it’s announcement. It also will throw more fuel on the fire of the Brian Burke saga as things move forwards. Coates has been working for the Anaheim Ducks for the past 6 seasons, with the last 3 of those being as senior advisor to GM Brian Burke.
Coates has been working in NHL front offices for about 30 years, with his ascendancy beginning right about when he hitched his star to Cliff Fletcher and the management of the, then Atlanta but eventually Calgary, Flames. His duties have typically included business operations, but he has received accolades in the past for his work with the AHL affiliate of the NY Rangers, the Hartford Wolf Pack from 2000 to 2003, and was Assistant GM for the Calgary Flames (under Cliff Fletcher) from 1991 to 1995 before being promoted to the Flames GM from November 1995 through the 1999-2000 season. During his tenure as GM of the Flames, he was involved in the drafting, or trading for players such as Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regher, Martin St. Louis, J.S. Giguere, Derek Morris, Steve Begin, and Toni Lydman. St. Louis and Giguere were both let go by the Flames soon after Coates’ departure, and immediately went on to stardom elsewhere in the NHL.
Coates’ new position will likely straddle the development realm and the operations of the big club, as the Leafs still retain the services of Jeff Jackson as Director of Hockey Operations, Mike Penny as Director of Pro Scouting, and Doug Gilmour as Player Development Advisor. Obviously adding one more solid hockey mind from Cliff Fletcher’s days as GM of the Flames is a solid move. It should also be remembered that after July 1st, the Leafs will be free to talk to Joe Nieuwendyk about whether or not he wants a position with the front office of the club. Obviously the Leafs are trying to build a competitive team of hockey minds, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The working relationship between Coates and Burke will again be highlighted in the local media, so don’t expect there to be any end to the speculation on Burke moving to T.O. That being said, Coates is on the record as saying the move was made purely for personal reasons relating to comfort for his family. If the Leafs threw a lot of money his way then that makes a lot of sense - I’m pretty sure more money is a tad more comfortable than less money.
The draft is now less than a week away, and Fletcher is obviously putting together the best and most experienced judges of talent he can together at the Leafs hockey table. This is going to be the most important Leafs draft in a long time… hopefully it all goes well.
Posted in Announcements
