Lou Lamoriello leaves New Jersey Devils, becomes Toronto Maple Leafs GM

Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup winner Lou Lamoriello resigned as president of the New Jersey Devils on Thursday after being hired to be the GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lamoriello becomes the 16th general manager in Maple Leafs history. The Maple Leafs will have to send a third-round draft pick to the Devils as compensation for Lamoriello, according to NHL.com. The pick will be for either the 2016, 2017, or 2018 draft.

"I have been fortunate to have worked for [Devils co-owners] Josh Harris and David Blitzer for the past two years," Lamoriello said in a statement. "In addition, the organization afforded me the opportunity to work for two other individuals that greatly impacted my life, Dr. John J. McMullen and George Steinbrenner. I have worked with Hall of Fame coaches, and players and a great staff, all of whom contributed to our success. In the end, it's about the people which makes this decision so difficult."

The Devils hired Lamoriello, who will turn 73 in October, in 1987 as president and GM. Lamoriello was with the Devils for 28 years, and resigned as the teams GM in May when they hired Ray Shero. He remained the team’s president after resigning as GM. During Lamoriello’s time with the Devils, they made the playoffs 21 times, won nine division titles, made five Cup Final appearances, and won three Stanley Cup titles, according to the New York Daily News. The Devils were 1,093-779-268 and were 136-116 in the playoffs with Lamoriello. In 2009 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Maple Leafs, who haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, have struggled in recent years. Last season they were 30-44-8 and finished 15th in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs hired Mike Babcock as their head coach in May and traded forward Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this month. The team is hoping that Babcock and Lamoriello can turn things around.

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