The Toronto Maple Leafs and assistant general manager Mark Hunter mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Tuesday.

Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said the decision followed "extensive discussions."

After the news in late April that Lou Lamoriello would not return as the club's GM, Hunter and fellow assistant Kyle Dubas became the two front-runners to fill the vacancy. Toronto ultimately hired Dubas.

The expectation is that Hunter is not allowed to work for another NHL club until after the draft and free-agency period concludes, as per the conditions of his departure, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.

This obviously makes sense from Toronto's perspective, considering the amount of knowledge Hunter had of the Leafs' strategy for both the draft and free agency.

Hunter could've stayed on with the club until the draft was over, but Toronto didn't want someone making key draft-day decisions if they were to eventually leave shortly thereafter anyway, per McKenzie.

Hunter, 55, has a wealth of experience both as a coach and an executive in the junior hockey ranks - most notably spending 12 years as owner, vice president, and GM of the OHL's London Knights before joining the Maple Leafs' front office in 2014.

Given his experience in junior hockey, Hunter's primary responsibilities with the Leafs included drafting, player evaluation, and player development. Under his watch, they drafted the likes of Mitch Marner, Travis Dermott, Auston Matthews, and Timothy Liljegren, and signed undrafted European free agents such as Nikita Zaitsev and Andreas Borgman.

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