It will take all of the Leafs front office’s work ethic to succeed

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan (left) shakes hands with new GM Lou Lamoriello this week. (MICHAEL PEAKE/Toronto Sun)TORONTO - How much would you have bet a year ago against the idea that Lou Lamoriello would be general manager of the Maple Leafs and Mike Babcock would be the head coach?

It would have seemed a sucker’s play at the time?

But here we are in July, 14 months after Brendan Shanahan was hired as president of the Leafs, and the largest stars on the wayward club are the Hall of Fame president, the Hall of Fame GM who drafted him, and an eventual Hall of Fame coach.

If only Shanahan, Lamoriello and Babcock could play. But what we know from each is they share a burning desire to…