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Lou Lamoriello's Move To Toronto General Manager Secures Brodeur's Future With Blues

Martin Brodeur didn't return to the Devils due to front office uncertainty; he's not going back any time soon.

By hildymac
Jeff Curry/Getty Images

In case you haven't heard yet, there are some serious shake-ups going on in both New Jersey and Toronto. Long-time president of the New Jersey Devils, Lou Lamoriello, has been hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs as their new general manager. Yes, this happened after the Leafs traded Phil Kessel for debatable returns, and yes, this happened after the draft, but there you go. Just out of the blue, these tweets happened this morning:

It looks like new Devils GM Ray Shero will have the front office of his making completely, without interference or influence from Lou. Why and how does this impact the Blues?

You may recall that the team's assistant GM is Martin Brodeur. Upon accepting this role in the team's front office back in May, Brodeur strongly hinted that part of his decision to stay with the Blues had to do with the shake-ups in the Devils' front office. From the Fire and Ice blog:

"Especially with the change (the Devils) made, I think it's a great opportunity for me to take a step back and go somewhere – or stay somewhere – that I'll be able to learn and do things I want to do and try to learn as much as possible and who knows what the future," Brodeur said. "But, it's less and less likely it's going to happen in New Jersey for a few years, that's for sure."

Apparently his return to a Lou-less Devils team may take longer than many Devils fans wanted. Just last week at development camp, Brodeur's son Anthony had to stick up for his dad's job decisions to NJ.com:

"He had a chance there and he took it," Anthony said. "He played a few games and he was happy there. He loved it once he got there. I don't blame him at all. They gave him a good opportunity as assistant GM. It was good for him to take that role and learn and see what he can do with his learning experience there."

It stands to reason that as a new GM Ray Shero wants to put his mark on the front office, and that his first priority probably isn't hiring team legends with minimal management experience. Three years is a long time; at the end of Brodeur's contract with the Blues, it's hard to predict where he will be or what his career path will do. But without Lou in New Jersey, it may take Brodeur a little longer to return to the Devils. If he proves himself a competent assistant GM in St. Louis, that could be a bonus for the Blues.