Once upon a time the general manager of the team selecting first overall in the NHL draft went to a press conference. He stood in front of a Buffalo-colored backdrop with "NHL DRAFT 2016" on it, and looked... healthy and happy, actually. Kind of pink and tan. Has Lou Lamoriello been out golfing lately?
Maybe, because when a reporter asked Lou if he and his staff were busy, Lou looked amused and said: "My staff's been working on this draft for quite a while, and now what we're just doing is putting the finishing touches, any last-minute discussions."
So yeah, he's probably got time for golfing.
In general Lou said things that we already knew, and looked like the calm eye of the media storm as he glanced from reporter to reporter with the poise of Buffalo Bill Cody at not-his-first-rodeo.
Some guy asked him if he found it odd that an American or a Finn would be the face of the franchise, and Lou killed the storyline with a phrase. "I don't think there's any player that will be the face of this franchise. The logo will be the face of the franchise."
It's your time to shine, logo!
Lou also said that he's completely unafraid of the expansion, because the Leafs are in "excellent shape" for it. (Please teach this skill to Yzerman, Lou.) He also said that any expectations heaped on the first overall pick had to be tempered. "There's no question we expect a lot out of the player we're getting, but certainly not right away. We have to respect this game," he said.
Speaking to the Marlies' long playoff run, Lou said that it taught the players that more things were important than just pure ability, like all the "tangible and intangible things you have to go through." He also said, "One thing you can't buy in life is experience, and playoff experience especially."
And as for tomorrow night, Lou admitted with a tiny grin that it was "pretty well up there" in his list of best drafts.
There are a few more nuggets that you can watch right over here: