Maple Leafs Job Fair: Pat Verbeek’s Resume

8 years ago

Who says that nobody wants these job openings in Toronto? We’ve been very fortunate to have some of the NHL’s brightest young coaches and executives e-mail us their resumes, shedding some much-needed light on who might be best suited for these very important jobs. Today, we give you the resume of long-time NHLer and current Assistant General Manager of the Tampa Bay, Pat Verbeek.

PAT VERBEEK

I am the original Little Ball of Hate.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Assistant General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning (2011-Present)

I oversee all of our professional scouting operations, aid in player procurement, and report directly to General Manager Steve Yzerman.

Director of Professional Scouting for the Tampa Bay Lightning (2010-2011)

In this role I was responsible for all scouting at the professional level as well as the scheduling of our team’s pro scouts.

Pro Scout for the Detroit Red Wings (2006-2010)

In this role I assisted the Detroit management staff by scouting select AHL and NHL teams. I used the information I gained scouting these teams by providing the Detroit coaching and management staffs with information about potential trade and free agent acquisitions.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Played 1,424 regular season NHL games, amassing 1,063 total points
Only player in NHL history to have at least 500 goals and 2,500 penalty minutes
Two-time NHL All-Star (1991 and 1996)
Stanley Cup champion with the Dallas Stars in 1999
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, 2006

BEST TRADE

I was part of the Lightning management team when we traded Cory Conacher and a 2014 4th round pick to the Ottawa Senators for Ben Bishop. Turning Steve Downie into Kyle Quincey and then turning Kyle Quincey into a 2012 1st round pick (Andrei Vasilevskiy) was also some pretty slick maneuvering.

WORST TRADE

So, we turned two pretty bad forwards in Cory Conacher and Steve Downie into two pretty good goalies in Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy. But we also once traded two 2nd round draft picks and a 3rd round draft pick for a package of players centered around Anders Lindback. Swing and a miss.

BEST DRAFT PICK

I’m pretty proud to have been part of the management team that drafted Andrei Vasilevskiy 19th overall in 2012 and Anthony DeAngelo 19th overall in 2014. Both have yet to really establish themselves, but both are developing very well and have big upside.

WORST DRAFT PICK

Slater Koekkoek is an alright prospect, but drafting him 10th overall might not have been the best use of our draft pick resources. That’s especially true when you consider that Filip Forsberg was taken with the very next pick by the Washington Capitals.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Picking 19th overall
Making trades involving goaltenders

HIRING MANAGER’S NOTES

Verbeek is a little tough to get a handle on as he lacks the experience and track record that people like Julien Brisebois and Jeff Gorton have. Still, Verbeek seems to be a name that is rising pretty rapidly in hockey circles. Maybe the best thing you can point to with Verbeek, since we don’t know a ton about him, is that he’s a key cog for a very impressive Tampa Bay Lightning management team. The Lightning have been among the most well-run teams in the league for the past several seasons and that has translated into results in a big way over the last couple of seasons. The Lightning, and presumably Verbeek, have placed an organizational emphasis on skill and haven’t been afraid to go against some of the conventional wisdom that most other NHL teams seem to operate on. That sort of modern, outside-the-box thinking appears to align closely with what the Leafs want to do moving forward. It’s tough to say with certainty whether Verbeek should be the person the Leafs choose as their next general manager, but if they did choose him you’d have to think it’s a solid choice.

Other Resumes We’ve Received: