The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Tuesday that the organization will relieve General Manager John Ferguson, Jr. of his duties and be replaced by Cliff Fletcher, who will serve in the role on an interim basis.

"After full consideration of the Leafs' situation, it has become clear that change and a new direction is needed," stated MLSE President and CEO Richard Peddie from the Air Canada Centre Tuesday. "Regrettably, we did not win enough games to reach our goal, winning the Stanley Cup."

"Our team performance has fallen short of what is to be expected. Today, we need to forge the start of a new beginning for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And we begin with the man seated next to me, a man with Hall of Fame credentials, who is highly regarded by Leafs fans and by hockey people around the globe. We have reached out to Cliff Fletcher and his 50-plus years of hockey management experience to serve as general manager of the Leafs on an interim basis."

Speculation began two weeks ago that a change might be imminent when the Leafs went on a West Coast road trip and came back to Toronto winless in the three game swing. Toronto seemed to be headed in the right direction after the road trip, though, winning two in a row, but it wasn’t enough for the Maple Leafs to keep Ferguson, Jr.
TSN first reported last week that a shakeup in Toronto was imminent, but Maple Leafs officials were tight lipped.

Expectations were high in Toronto this season after the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs the previous two seasons, but a slow start doomed the Leafs from the beginning. As the season went on, Toronto slipped to 14th in the Eastern Conference, and rumors began swirling that star forward Mats Sundin would be traded.

The MLSE board of directors met on Monday and decided to make the change. Ferguson, who served as GM for four years, was informed on Tuesday. Fletcher first came to Toronto in 1991 when he was hired as general manager and chief operating officer. He stayed with the Leafs until 1997, after helping them to become contenders again.

Fletcher was signed to a 19 month contract on Tuesday, and will serve as a consultant for the remaining 19 months when a new general manager is hired.

"I know here in Toronto the expectations are high," Fletcher said at the press conference. "I look forward to the challenge and a few tough months ahead. The key here is to initially start the process to move the club ahead to the next level so that it can compete with all the top teams in the league, which will eventually lead to the playoff success."

The Leafs are 1-0 with Fletcher serving as general manager after defeating the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Wednesday night in Toronto.