29
David Nonis will make his way east to meet with the Toronto Maple Leafs about their vacant general manager portfolio on Monday.
The Vancouver resident, who was fired as the Vancouver Canucks' GM last month, won't exactly know what the Leafs intentions are when he convenes with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie and his search committee partner, Gordon Kirke, but he's eager to find out.
Are the Leafs prepared to make him an offer? Is this simply an interview? Or do the Leafs want to measure his interest in a lesser position with the struggling NHL franchise, which hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1967?
The MLSE brass should know they are not the only interested party in Nonis, who will turn 42 on May 25. The Atlanta Thrashers definitely have Nonis's attention and have made contact with him.
Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis addresses a news conference in Vancouver on May 8, 2007. (Sam Leung/AP)
Related Articles
The Thrashers are negotiating with general manager Don Waddell and there is a strong possibility that his duties will be expanded to president. Therefore, a person of Nonis's ilk would be brought in as the GM.
Nonis also has interest with an unknown third club, where the current GM still is in place. He also has a standing offer from his former boss, Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, to be a Ducks pro scout next season.
Nonis could not be reached for comment yesterday. Kirke said talking publicly about the Leafs' hunt for a new GM is a "taboo" subject, and he wants to keep the process "confidential."
Also lurking in the background of the Leafs' muddy picture has been Burke. He was at the top of the Leafs' list, along with current Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland and his assistant, Jim Nill. But both the Ducks' and Wings' owners declined to give the Leafs permission to talk to the Big Three. The same goes for the San Jose Sharks when contacted earlier this week about the possibility of allowing GM Doug Wilson to talk with the Leafs.
The Leafs also kicked the tires on Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough through a third party, but he had no interest.
But until Burke, who has a year remaining on his deal with the Ducks, signs an extension with owners Henry and Susan Samueli, the possibility he will fly the Ducks' nest remains. In order for that to occur, the Samuelis would have to undergo a change of heart and allow Burke to skip out on the final year of the contract.
It certainly would be an unhealthy situation if Burke were allowed to continue running the Ducks without an extension and his close crony, Nonis, was the Leafs' GM and waiting for Burke to join him in Toronto as the club president.
Burke was Nonis's boss with the Canucks for seven seasons before Nonis replaced Burke as the GM in May of 2004 and became the youngest GM in franchise history.
Nonis was raised in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby. He attended the University of Maine on a hockey scholarship and in his final two seasons was one of team captains.
After spending the 1988-89 season playing in Denmark, he returned to the university to complete his MBA and was a graduate assistant with the hockey team.
As the Canucks' GM, he made one of the biggest trade thefts in NHL history when he acquired goaltender Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers along with defenceman Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round draft selection in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld.
In Luongo's first season, he backstopped the Canucks to their first playoff series victory in three seasons. But this past year, the Canucks did not make the playoffs.
The Canucks' owners replaced Nonis with former player agent Mike Gillis last month.
