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If the Toronto Maple Leafs hire an experienced hockey man not named Scotty Bowman to run the organization, who might that be? Three candidates:

• Ken Holland, general manager, Detroit Red Wings. The man responsible for keeping the Red Wings competitive through thick and thin, in the pre- and post-salary cap world. In 10 seasons as GM, they have made the playoffs every year, finished first or second in the division every year and won two Stanley Cups. The chance to add the presidency to his job duties (and knowing that the Red Wings might want Steve Yzerman in the GM's seat) may convince him to listen to an overture.
• Jim Rutherford, general manager, Carolina Hurricanes. Like Holland, Rutherford has strong loyalties to his team, having worked for owner Peter Karmanos for more than three decades, including the past 17 years as the GM of the Hurricanes. Unlike the Red Wings, the Hurricanes have had their shares of ups and downs in the past decade, but they have drafted well and qualified for two of the past six Stanley Cup finals. In Leafland, that would be a dream.
• Cliff Fletcher. The man responsible for setting the Leafs back on a course toward respectability after the Harold Ballard era, Fletcher is out of work after the Coyotes' off-season front-office purge. He is a respected hockey man with experience building an organization from the top down. Fletcher left Calgary soon after orchestrating the Flames' one and only Cup championship, intrigued by the challenge that Toronto represented. Hard to believe that the challenge isn't just as compelling now.