Doug Gilmour saw and experienced a lot of things during his successful NHL career, but he was never part of an eight-year plan.
 
The popular Toronto hockey star played 1,474 games over 20 seasons for the Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues in a very different NHL. The old way of building a Stanley Cup contender has been rendered obsolete by the salary cap.
 
"In the days when I played you could just go and get free agents," the 52-year-old told TSN.ca. “There was no salary cap, so you didn't have to worry about your draft picks all the time."
 
He is, of course, referring to the rebuilding Leafs (6-9-4), who are just beginning what could be a long, painful journey in the quest for stability and success.

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 Team president Brendan Shanahan pieced together an army of hockey's brightest minds in the off-season, led by general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Mike Babcock, to take on the gargantuan task. 
 
The task at hand is turning the Leafs into a legitimate contender. Before they can do that, the team must find a way to become a consistent playoff team. The Buds have made the post-season just once since the 2003-2004 campaign and have had five top-10 draft picks over that span.
 
The "eight-year plan" refers to the long-term $50 million contract that will keep Babcock with the Blue and White for the foreseeable future. Gilmour, who now works in hockey management, said that’s more than enough time to achieve favourable results.
 
"Eight years to me is just kind of out there,” the Kingston Frontenacs’ general manager said. “In reality it should be four or five.”
 
So far, the first two months of the process have gone according to plan. The young guns - William Nylander and Connor Brown - are continuing their development with the Marlies in the AHL while Mitch Marner, the fourth-overall pick at the 2015 Entry Draft, is lighting up the OHL with the London Knights.
 
The Leafs have surprised many with a quick adjustment to Babcock's hard-working system and five of their six wins have come against the Western Conference. 
 
Nazem Kadri has just one goal on 81 shots, but he's making up for it with tenacity on the first line. James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul are making up for the absence of an elite goal scorer, leading the team with seven goals apiece, while Tyler Bozak and defenceman Morgan Rielly are quitely off to strong starts and share the team lead with 12 points.
 

 
There may not be a playoff spot in the immediate future, but Gilmour sees the foundation being laid.
 
“You look at Detroit and your late-round draft picks, whether its fifth round, sixth round, seventh round, you've got to develop them the proper way and that's what they've done and that's why they've been successful," he said. "So, I think the Leafs took a page out of that book and that's where they're going."
 
"I think their scouting staff has done a great job in the past year and there have been some signings and moves. It's a salary-cap world and you have to be careful with what you have and what you do."