Update (05. Aug, 9:15 AM): Good news: Scotty Bowman has informed TSN that he has not heard from the Leafs recently, has not been given a new offer, and is not interested in taking a position in Toronto. I suppose it’s possible that this could be a Bowman smokescreen, but I’m going to take what he said at face value. (via Snapshots) - Matt
Back in June, Scotty Bowman turned down an offer from the Leafs when he was told he would not be given the kind of control needed to make big changes in the front office. Apparently, the Leafs have since reconsidered that stance, as a Globe and Mail source indicated that they are now offering him housecleaning powers. So, Bowman is apparently “leaning toward” taking a job in Toronto as a senior adviser.
This is obviously not good news for the Wings, who have used Bowman as their own senior adviser since his retirement from coaching in 2002. Bowman is a key member of the team’s braintrust and his departure would be a heavy blow. We can only hope that he sticks around, but the draw to work for the Leafs has to be powerful, especially now that it sounds like they’d actually let him make changes. (via Mirtle)
I don’t know how bad the news really would be for the Wings if Scotty joined the Leafs staff. Calling it a “heavy blow” is probably a bit overstated. I doubt he’s doing much other than scouting for potential trades or signings, like Rafalski.I’d actually be happy to see him in such a high profile position, and it’s not like he’d be in our conference. Maybe he could use this as a negotiating tactic to get higher up in the Wings’ front office.