Leafs looking for change in the offseason
Toronto. New Leafs GM Georg Messner had his first quick chat with the media in Toronto. Here is what he had to say:
Messner on ...
... his appointment and the state of the team: I want to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs for giving me this opportunity. Being at the helm of an NHL franchise is the highest honor for every manager, and being the GM of a franchise with such a long and successful history is an honor in every sense of the word. I am looking forward to the challenge, and I can't wait to get the offseason started. There is a lot of work to do. I believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs must be a playoff team. That is what the city of Toronto deserves, that is what our fans all over the world deserve. My job is to help improve the team and get us back to the postseason, and I hope we'll be back there soon.
... his plans for the offseason: Obviously I'm not going to talk in detail about specific personalities in the media. We'll have staff meetings over the next few weeks and we'll identify our needs and the plan for the near future. If you ask me if there will be changes: yes, of course. One thing is for sure though: I'm not a person who will make changes for the sake of change. It has to make sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs, ideally both short and long term. It's all about finding ways to improve the hockey club, and we won't limit ourselves in that. I am willing to listen to every other manager, and we'll see how that goes.
... the AHL farm team: Again, I'm not going into detail about names, but ideally we want to see the Marlies in the playoffs, no doubt about that. There are things I have liked though. A few players have been doing well down there, and as an NHL team, you have to use that to your advantage. Maybe it's time for a couple players to make the next step in their career and get an opportunity with the big club, and we'll have a good look at that.
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