Lamoriello, 72, just stepped away from the Devils after a successful run that included three Stanley Cups.

Lou Lamoriello resigned as president of the New Jersey Devils and was introduced Thursday as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have worked with Hall-of-Fame coaches, and players and a great staff, all of whom contributed to our success. “The two years I was there he was outstanding”. He finished as the longest serving general manager of any one team in the history of the National Hockey League at 28 years (1987-2015).

“His brilliance in shaping this franchise into one of the most storied and celebrated organization in sport will make him a New Jersey Devil for life”, Harris said. The Maple Leafs have missed the playoffs four of the past five seasons.

“Ray is a proven and innovative leader in the NHL” Harris said in the team’s news release. That job was working for Shanahan, whom he drafted in 1987, his first year with New Jersey. His passion, integrity and leadership over the last 28 years impacted the lives of thousands, creating a lasting legacy. But the Devils had fallen on hard times of late. During those three stints, the Devils went 54-33-12.

The hiring of Lamoriello isn’t likely to change the hierarchy of how things are operating in Toronto, it just brings in another experienced voice to develop personnel – this time the personnel being the green front office staff.

The Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and recently have become a laughingstock, finishing 15th in the 16-team Eastern Conference last season with a 30-44-8 record and 68 points.

In addition to his NHL experience, Lamoriello was GM of the U.S. team that won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and then returned to that post with USA Hockey for the 1998 Nagano Olympics.