Just before he pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Marlies blueliner Viktor Loov to New Jersey for forward Sergei Kalinin, the 74-year-old spoke Saturday to MapleLeafs.com about the upcoming NHL trade deadline, his views on the evolution of the GM role in the game, his co-workers among Leafs management and coaches, and the team itself. Here is a full transcript of the conversation:

MapleLeafs.com: In terms of this upcoming trade deadline, with your experience over the years dealing with this type of thing, and with the added wrinkles of the expansion draft and the salary cap, is this season's deadline any different for you?

Lou Lamoriello: I don't know if it's especially different, because they're all similar when it comes to the trade deadline, because you're focused in on your own team as to what decisions should be made for tomorrow and today. What is unique is the Toronto situation - when I say the Toronto situation, as far as where our team is in the development stages, and with the plan of process to make sure that we stay right on the same focus that we began with and don't get ahead of ourselves.

When you get ahead of yourself, what you do is you get in your own way, and you sort of do something today, but you hold back the big picture. And that is not something that we will do. But in saying that, it's like everything else - if you can take care of today and tomorrow at the same time, then you have to look at it. But right now, we're really pleased with the development process that's taken place with the younger players, and where the veterans have come. I think that, sometimes, because of the success of the young players, the veterans have become overlooked in how important they are and where they've brought their games.

So we'll just have to wait and see how things develop. But it is a unique year when you talk about salary caps and when you talk about expansion and when you talk about parity in the league, as far as the number of teams; all you have to do is look at the (standings) points and look at the games teams have left with each other.

MapleLeafs.com: As far as the GM role goes, with the specialization of the job and the fact you have so many people around you now, how do you think the position has evolved?

Lou Lamoriello: I don't think it's any different, quite frankly, than the past. I think that what's transpired here is that, because of the number of people, the timing of the way they were hired and the significance of Toronto, it's looked upon a little different. But as far as my past, the input people have had, not to get into names specifically, but they have been with me for a long time. You don't work solely on what you're doing. You're constantly interacting with your pro scouts, your amateur scouts, your coaching staff.

Everybody has input, everybody has to have opinions in your organization, and then you have to make decisions. None of that is different. I just think the exposure that has been here with the people and the timing of when they were hired has made it different, but it really is no different than any other organization as far as the roles people have and the responsibilities. It's the way it's magnified.

MapleLeafs.com: What about the city of Toronto? You're a couple of years into the role now. What have you learned about the city that you might not have known when you started?

Lou Lamoriello: It's a great city, I've always felt that way. Always enjoyed coming here. The friendliness of the people is outstanding. I'd heard about the good restaurants, and now that I've experienced them all, I like them even better. (laughs) And I've been extremely impressed with the Maple Leaf organization as far as the people behind the scenes that you don't read about, and the interaction that takes place.

The basketball people, and the people I've got to know, the baseball people - there are a lot of great people here and I have nothing but positive experiences while I've been here. And I will say this: anytime I came to the city, whether we spent considerable time playing or scouting, I've always felt that way, and know it's been endorsed by being here permanently.

MapleLeafs.com: I know you value your personal relationships and that side of the business, when you look at the evolution of Brendan Shanahan as a person and an executive now, how far has he come?

Lou Lamoriello: As you know, I've known Brendan since he's been 18. The type of individual he is - he's a listener, he does his homework, he's extremely intelligent. And he has a sixth sense - and when I say a sixth sense, it's common sense. That's something you cannot teach.

And I've watched him not only grow as a player and become one of the best players to play this game as far as on both sides of the puck, I've watched him grow in the National Hockey League with reference to the position he had and the way he developed that Safety Department, and also the decisions he had to make in how he handled them, how he explained them, and how he allowed the media to understand what he was doing, and really had the respect of the people in the National Hockey League. I don't think you have to go any further than how that department was developed and the trust that Gary Bettman had in him to do that (to know his impact).

And then coming here, with what he has done and the people he's put together, Brendan wants strong people and he's always expressed that, but doesn't get in the way. He doesn't allow things to overlap. He's done a tremendous job here, he's the right person for the position he's in in this city, and he's Brendan - I can't say enough about him. Besides being a good friend and knowing him for the amount of time I've had with him, and how he's handled each and every situation that's come about in the past year-and-a-half.

MapleLeafs.com: You haven't known Mike Babcock as intimately as you've known Brendan, but some of us in the press box like to joke that, if he wasn't doing what he was doing, Mike could probably be Canada's Oprah Winfrey, because he's such a great motivator and he's so eloquent in terms of how he describes his job and the way he sees things. What have you learned about him in the past year-and-a-half that you didn't know prior to taking the job?

Lou Lamoriello: I certainly did not know him as well as I knew Brendan, but I had spent periodic time with Mike, watched how he handled situations. He was coaching Anaheim when we played against him in 2003 with the Cup success the Devils had that year, and that series went to seven games, so we had a real opportunity to examine how people did different things. I also certainly watched him over the years in Detroit, and I had crossed paths with him at different times and had very brief conversations.

Also, Jacques Lemaire, who was with me in New Jersey, he was with Mike on the Canadian Olympic team, so I had his knowledge of how Mike operated, as far as how he handled the players, his intelligence, how he used his staff and how he did different things. So I had a real comfortability with Mike, and I actually spoke with him before I came to Toronto - he was already hired - and the relationship that's developed over the last year-and-a-half has been impeccable as far as communication and as far as interaction.

He also is the right person, in my opinion, for what has to be done here in Toronto and what is being done. The patience he has with young players and knowing what buttons to push at a certain time, and also being able to tell you right up front what he's thinking to the players, so that they don't have to hear it from anybody else - it's been really a good relationship. And while we're talking about Brendan and Mike, (assistant GMs) Kyle (Dubas) and Mark (Hunter) were also here prior to me, and their cooperation and their interaction has just been outstanding.

So my experiences to this point have been nothing but positive. And I'd like to think that the unity that's been shown from all of us together has allowed the players to see that everybody is on the same page, everybody is working toward getting a foundation and growing accordingly to have success.

MapleLeafs.com: I've grown up in Toronto all my life - I'm 44 now, and -

Lou Lamoriello: (wryly) Let's not get into age…

MapleLeafs.com: (laughs) I hear you. But there may have been previous criticisms from fans and media that previous administrations or the organization wasn't spending to the cap limit or using the largesse of the organization to take full advantage of the collective bargaining agreement, but I don't think anyone feels that way anymore. Do you feel as if the organization is really firing on all pistons in that respect?

Lou Lamoriello: I guess if I'm interpreting the question right, the support of ownership and the commitment they've given to us and to the fans is real. They've allowed us to do what has to be done to have success in our opinion. But that doesn't mean that, because you have the ability to spend money, you spend it just for the sake of spending it. It has to be money spent so that success can take place, and it can't be spent just for today to look like something is occurring or something is going to happen, because tomorrow comes awfully quick.

So I think that fiscal responsibility is something that I had no choice with for a long period of time, but also money doesn't buy you success. But to have the ability to spend where maybe some other people don't is an asset and an advantage. It's up to us to do it the right way.

MapleLeafs.com: With this year's team, it's been great for Leafs fans to watch every night and expect they'll be competitive and entertaining. What has surprised you the most about this particular edition of the team?

Lou Lamoriello: I don't know what surprises me the most, but what is most satisfying and most pleasing with this group of young players and the veterans who are here - and remember, we went through some 45-plus players last year next to the veterans who are here, so it was a process - is that all of them want to be good, are willing to pay the price to have success, understand the logo is more important than the name on the back, and that they're only going to have success if they respect their teammates and they know they can't do it alone.

And I think the commitment they have to each other, how they've interacted - how they've worked as a team - it's been satisfying and gratifying. And I think that's the way we all feel, and it's our job to make sure they stay on that path, and that no one gets out of that. It's their responsibility to know as players what it will take to have success. Success is the only thing everyone is striving for, and you only have that if everyone is committed. And they're committed to doing things that are necessary to have success. In saying that, you have to do things you don't like to do, but you have to because it's for the benefit of the team. That's what I think has been most gratifying, and I think the players have to understand that nothing but that will be accepted.

MapleLeafs.com: And just as a quick follow-up, is it important players know that success isn't always linear, that you know there will be bumps in the road that'll be ahead?

Lou Lamoriello: Well, I think that's exactly the point, and you hit it on the head. If you're doing everything together, when you hit those bumps, you have a better chance of coming out of it more quickly, because you know you're going to hit them. When you start off a season, you know there's going to be issues, you know there's going to be problems, but the bottom line is how we handle them, and that's on and off the ice, is going to dictate our success.