Another day, another change to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front office. 

The Leafs announced on Tuesday morning the club has mutually parted ways with assistant general manager and director of player personnel Mark Hunter, the same day former GM turned senior advisor Lou Lamoriello was officially announced as president of hockey operations for the New York Islanders. 

Hunter offered to stay on with the club until next month's entry draft in Dallas, but it was decided his exit should come right away. Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, who brought Hunter to the Leafs in 2014 from the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, said in a statement Tuesday that Hunter’s decision followed “extensive discussions.”

“I’d like to sincerely thank Mark for everything he’s done for this organization over the last four years and I wish him nothing but the best in the future,” Shanahan said.

It's not surprising that Hunter, who has a non-compete clause in his contract that prevents him from working for another team until mid-July, is departing from the Leafs' organization given how the last month played out. First, Shanahan opted not to renew Lamoriello's contract as general manager after three years, moving him into a previously agreed upon advisor role in late April. Then, on May 10, Shanahan announced 32-year-old Kyle Dubas as the Leafs' new general manager, selecting him over Hunter.

At the time, Shanahan spoke about how difficult the choice was and made it clear that Hunter “really wanted the [GM] job.” Ultimately Dubas won out, for reasons Shanahan didn’t delve into beyond saying it was the right time for a change at the position and the right time for Dubas to take over. 

On Tuesday, Shanahan said: "I think whatever decision I had to make this summer for a GM, I was likely going to lose the other two. So rather than focus on what we were going to lose, I really focused my energy on what we were going to gain, and I thought the best person for the Maple Leafs going forward was Kyle Dubas."

But Hunter has had a major impact on the Leafs during his tenure. When head coach Mike Babcock was hired in 2015, Shanahan said, “I can tell you that Mark Hunter was a big part of this…he deserves a lot of credit for this.” Babcock added, “Mark Hunter is a guy I have an absolute ton of respect for.” At the world hockey championship in mid-May, after news of Dubas’ promotion broke, Babcock told TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger he hoped everyone would stay on and continue building the Leafs, but with each passing day it looks like Dubas will be forced to create his own staff.

It’s unclear just how many positions he will have to fill. Jim Paliafito has been Hunter’s right-hand man as director of player evaluation since 2015, and was instrumental in getting Nikita Zaitsev signed to the Leafs in 2016, as well as getting recent free agent signee Igor Ozhiganov in the fold. As Babcock pointed out at his hiring, “[Hunter] gets players,” but he doesn’t do it alone, and his closest confidants could leave Toronto with him. 

That would result in more work for both Shanahan and Dubas, but the two have been tightly linked for years. It was Shanahan who convinced Dubas, after a nine-hour meeting, to leave his post as general manager of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds back in the summer of 2014 and join the Leafs' front office, a seeming heir apparent to the GM job then held by Dave Nonis. But after firing Nonis following the 2014-15 season, Shanahan wooed Lamoriello away from the New Jersey Devils and installed him as Leafs’ general manager and as a mentor to Dubas.

At the press conference announcing his new role, Dubas praised both Lamoriello and Hunter for their guidance and partnership during his time with the Leafs, but was prepared for the reality of inevitable changes to come. 

“Like with every staff member, now that my role has changed I’ll just go through with each staff member top to bottom and get their impression of where they are, whether they’re excited about moving forward,” Dubas said on May 10. “And that’s not exclusive to Mark, but I’m very hopeful that everyone here will want to remain a part of it and move ahead. That would be my only goal.”

As for Lamoriello, Shanahan was complimentary once again of his contributions to the Leafs and wished him the best in New York. But any way you look at it, this is a big shakeup for a Leafs’ team that is coming off consecutive playoff appearances and their winningest season in team history. By all accounts, Toronto’s draft strategy should be well in place by now so losing Hunter won’t be fatal in the short term, but saying goodbye to two experienced, successful pillars like Lamoriello and Hunter leaves holes that won’t be easy to fill.

One Leafs executive who could see increased responsibilities with the team is Brandon Pridham. The club's resident cap guru, he’s been assistant to the general manager since 2014 and would be an ideal candidate to promote in Dubas’ front office.