First of all, no this isn’t a joke, and yes I’m mostly sober.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs hope to put an end to their NHL record 56 year old championship drought, then it’s in their best interest to hire the drought-ender himself, Theo Epstein. For those who may not be tuned in to baseball, Epstein is the man responsible for putting an end to the Boston Red Sox’s 86 year long drought as well as the Chicago Cubs’ 108 year long drought.
Whether it’s the Curse of the Bambino, or the Curse of the Billy Goat, Theo Epstein has found a way to join the most cursed franchises in all of sports and cleanse them of their misfortune. Why can’t the Toronto Maple Leafs be next?
Let’s address the main concern, both the Red Sox and Cubs are baseball teams, and the Toronto Maple Leafs happen to play hockey (that is, unless you’re speaking about the Intercounty Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs). That said, this wouldn’t be the first baseball to hockey move amongst management across the league. Less than a year ago, the Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Greenberg to be their new Associate General Manager. Before that, Greenberg had spent the past 10 years working for the Chicago Cubs, eight of them working alongside Theo Epstein.
While there would for sure be a learning curve, the truth is the transition isn’t nearly as difficult as it may seem. The best general managers are the ones who have an analytical eye, an ability to weigh risk for reward, and perhaps most importantly – are able to listen to their supporting staff including assistant GMs, scouts, and coaches.
Being an outsider from the sport can even be seen as a positive, as it allows Epstein to join the club and make decisions without any preconceived biases. One of Dubas’ most common criticisms was his predictability for signing players from the Soo Greyhounds, Chicago Steel, and staying almost detrimentally loyal to his guys. Epstein would have no such connections formed early in his career, and be free of emotional attachment to alumni from specific teams.
Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a state of flux and seem to lack direction. Bringing in an outsider, one with a proven track record of taking the most directionless teams in the history of sports and turning them into champions could be the move. Whatever curse may have befallen the Maple Leafs to have put them on this lengthy drought, caused them to lose in the most absurdist of ways, and even put a global pandemic in place to freeze the salary cap moments after the team’s stars signed massive extensions, requires a powerful exorcist to remove.
Who better than Theo Epstein, drought ender, curse breaker, and one of the most celebrated General Managers in all of sports. All that’s left to prove is whether his success is limited to baseball, or if it stretches beyond the diamond and into the hockey arena tundra.
