Mike Babcock has a very strong opinion on the new Leafs GM.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock has a very strong opinion on the latest Maple Leafs' hire, general manager Lou Lamoreillo..

Mike Babcock shared that opinion in an exlusive interview with NHL.com's Dan Rosen on Thursday.

"Lou has been about winning," Babcock told NHL.com in a phone interview Thursday. "Lou is a guy who has pushed himself to get better every single day. I think a senior management guy joining our team, understanding what the vision and what the plan is, is a home run for all of us.

"Everyone concerns themselves with the team on the ice; the team off the ice precedes the team on the ice. I think we're set up very good."

Like many who have speculated on the hire Babcock seems to believe that Lamoreillo has been brought it to help mentor Mike Hunter and Kyle Dubas, two men who despite having brilliant hockey minds are relatively inexperienced at the NHL level.

"To bring in a guy like Lou, that gives those guys someone to talk to, someone to mentor them, someone to ask, 'Hey Lou, you've been through this 100 times, what do you think?'" Babcock said. "You have an experienced guy who is still passionate and still fired up about it and still wants to work. That's Lou. He loves hockey."

As for his overall thoughts on the hire, and what it means for him as the team's head coach, Babcock left no doubt as to his feelings.

"This was a home run for Mike Babcock."

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Image courtesy Key Stone Press.