In the wake of the Toronto Maple Leafs long-overdue firing of head coach Randy Carlyle, a number of fans, bloggers and pundits have taken to print and the airwaves to speculate over other possible moves for the long-struggling club.
Some want general manager Dave Nonis replaced, or the Leafs to woo coach Mike Babcock away from the Detroit Red Wings, or for stars like Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf to be traded. Some want all of these things to happen, some preach caution and others are taking a “wait-and-see” approach.
For all the speculation, suggestions and predictions, the final decisions belong to the Leafs first-year team president Brendan Shanahan, who played a role in both Carlyle’s retention last summer and in his recent firing.
Leafs future is in team president Brendan Shanahan’s hands.
Shanahan remains tight-lipped about his intentions, keeping a low profile from a chattering media horde beseeching him to do or say something about the situation. Their pleas have fallen on deaf ears so far. The Hall of Famer developed a thick skin with the media during his tenure as “Sheriff Shanny”, the NHL’s disciplinarian. Whatever his plan (or “Shanaplan”, if you will) it’s apparent the media will learn about it along with the rest of Leafs Nation: via press release.
It’s painfully obvious the Leafs are no closer to ending their 47-years-and-counting Stanley Cup drought. Everyone in Leafs Nation looks around the NHL, sees once-moribund teams improving or even becoming Cup contenders, and wonders why the Maple Leafs can’t seem to get it right.
Mismanagement is to blame, but there seems to be something else at work with the Leafs. In recent years, it’s become a place where the careers of respected managers and coaches are wrecked on the Toronto shores. As I noted in a piece last November on the Leafs ongoing woes, those GMs and coaches didn’t suddenly get stupid overnight.
I chalked it up to the pressure of managing and coaching one of hockey’s most famous and popular franchises in the NHL’s largest market. I also said it was up to Leafs ownership, fronted by Shanahan, to find a solution which had eluded their predecessors.
My opinion hasn’t changed, and in the coming weeks and months, we’ll get a better idea of what Shanahan has in mind. It’s a huge challenge. The Leafs are currently among the NHL’s worst defensive and puck-possession teams, whose stars are mostly offensive players unable or unwilling to commit to a strong two-way game.
The solution seems straightforward. Bring in a coach who’ll earn their respect and motivate them into becoming better two-way players. Finding that coach, however, is another matter.
For all the talk of wooing Mike Babcock, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons made a great point when he recently wrote that the Red Wings bench boss wants to be paid and wants to coach a winner, and the Leafs can only assure half of that.
So if Babcock’s out, then who? In the wake of Carlyle’s firing there was certainly no shortage of options suggested by the media, but few which I believe could thrive in the Toronto hothouse. St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock seems the best of the bunch, but unless the Blues fire him at season’s end he’s not going anywhere. Ditto Anaheim Ducks bench boss Bruce Boudreau. Dan Bylsma and Pete DeBoer top the list of former coaches, but I just don’t seem them succeeding where Carlyle failed.
As for roster changes, I expect those could start in a month’s time if the Leafs haven’t snapped out of their current funk by then. I doubt we’ll see any blockbuster moves involving the Leafs top players, as such deals involving high-salaried talent on long-term contracts are almost impossible to swing during the season in today’s salary-cap era.
Instead, I expect we’ll see pending unrestricted free agents like Daniel Winnik, Mike Santorelli and maybe even Cody Franson hit the trade block before the March 2 trade deadline. Maybe goalie James Reimer, who has a year left on his contract, gets dealt as well.
Bigger moves involving the Leafs stars will likely come in the offseason, once the salary-cap figures for next season are established. There will be more teams with cap space and a willingness to spend by late-June and early-July, especially given how barren this summer’s UFA market is.
I’m guessing those moves won’t be made before a new coach is hired, which could come as soon as the playoffs are over, if not earlier. Unless interim coach Peter Horachek successfully rallies the Leafs, gets them into the 2015 players and they win a round or two, I just don’t see him as their full-time head coach.
Once the new coach is hired, the Leafs will probably try to bring in players to suit his system, possibly by swapping out those who don’t.
Beyond that, your guess about Shanahan’s plans is as good as mine. The solutions might seem so easy from the point of view of a fan, blogger or pundit but the reality is very different and very difficult to implement. We’ll all find out leading up to the March trade deadline, the NHL Draft in June and the start of unrestricted free agency on July 1 what form “The Shanaplan” will take.
Great post, Lyle
It really is impossible to know what they’ll do. I believe that JFJ, Burke and Nonis all fell into the same trap – trying to win today when the team is not built for it yet.
Shanahan needs to go the route that has never been taken in Toronto. Sell off the most valuable assets for picks and prospects, retain character players (and young, talented players on entry-level contracts such as Rielly and Nylander), and invest in scouting so that you can draft relatively well. It will be a long 4-5 years if this is the route they go, and Shanahan will be hated by some for it. In the long run, the Maple Leafs will be a far more stable and successful organization as a result of it.
I have been a leaf fan true and true all my life but you don’t have to be ingenius to look back through the years and realize that since 1967 it has never been about winning but rather a business venture getting richer at the hands of dedicated fans and corporate greed. When Bell and Roger’s bought this entity be restassured it wasn’t about a cup but rather sheer ratings and to monopolize the industry of one of the richest franchises in sport. Tim Liewike comes in makes changes to the Raptors in a positive light and all of a sudden there is controversy amongst owners. Same as the Stavros vs Tannembaum controversy that has played out many times before. Until we have an owner who cares and is passionate about winning and truly loves the game we can continue to expect the same large profits off the ice and no reward on it. enough said
sorry, but it drives me crazy when people say ownership doesn’t want to win and just cares about profits. Even if that’s true then winning makes the most sense. What has ownership done to cut costs and make more money? Some of the highest management costs in the league, are at the salary cap, and were over it if you count sending Jeff Finger, Komisarek, etc. to the Marlies. Also when they are in the playoffs they are getting tv and ticket revenue while paying no salaries….so what is the benefit of spending the max you can and not wanting to win?
This latest iteration of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the end result of a rebuild that began with Brian Burke. It’s enormously frustrating to hear pundits speculate about a rebuild under Shanahan, because most fans are loathe to live through another season of mediocrity. People say rebuild like it’s something that hasn’t been tried before in Toronto, and that is simply wrong.
Amongst my friends, I have always been the biggest Kessel fan even in the face of constant criticism. I think this stems from my belief that a team cannot get better by trading its best player, and Kessel has been a year in and year out scorer for the Leafs. But to see his constant bailouts in his own zone, his avoidance of any type of physical contact along the boards in his own zone and just the general cowardice of his own play, makes his reaction to media questions about his blameworthiness of Carlyse’s firing laughable. Of course Kessel is partly to blame. Just as is every under performing player on that roster. And the fact that he can’t even hear the question without reacting, speaks to his character as a player. Kessel is soft. Kessel is uncoachable. Kessel is steak with no sizzle.
It has been 9 years of rebuild. I can’t stand the thought of another. This team is so boring to watch, they can’t even go down fighting. At least with Orr and McLaren and some type of fighting spirit on the roster, we’d at least see a physical push back from the Leafs. Now all we get is the same old tired cliches from Phaneuf “oh we have to be better…. oh we have to try harder” to explain loss after loss.
Where are the guys that want to compete? Where is the player accountability that was promised. It seems the more whining the players do, the more ice time they get. Have some pride!
Hey @fromthenorth you said it brother, took the words right out of my mouth. at the very least can the players give their best effort. I understand life in Toronto is very appealing as a leaf, but the entitlement to the point where as a group these players bail on their responsibilities time and time again.
This is not a talent issue, talent to score goals is one of the hardest things to achieve in this league, yet these guys parade around like an entitled bunch that take their fans for granted. The fans themselves are to blame as well. We jump on and off the bandwagon like no other. It is really absurd to listen to the media that can not really analyze the game of hockey properly. They just seem to run in circles. Now the media is using terms such as possession %, what was it before ? oh yea top 6 bottom 6. These guys are paid to analyze, NOT LEARN FROM THE GM’S ABOUT THE GAME OF HOCKEY AND — USE THEIR WORDS AGAINST THEM.
PATHETIC
PATHETIC
PATHETIC
I WOULD TAKE A CALGARY TEAM THAT COMPETES THE WE THEY DO ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.
A full re-build is the way to go..look at my Pen’s and the Kings, it takes at least five years but look at the rewards.
But does the ownership of MLSE have the time or patience to wait?? they will still make money.
everyone has thier ideas on what should be done. i believe that you have to forget about what the media says. steps have to be taken to improve no matter how big your market is. reilly was a draft pick that should have gone later.there were several better options when he was drafted.just look at the 10-15 players drafted after him. forsberg is one that sticks out in my mind. drafting is so important now more than ever and you can’t screw up 1st rd picks.nylander was an excellent pick and one of the only great draft picks for the leafs in recent memory. get rid of the deadwood,the one way players and older guys that can’t cut the mustard anymore for 1st and 2nd rd picks and really good prospects. it HAS to be done no matter what anyone thinks. it is a long road but also a long road to glory! build around bernier,nylander and a few others but smell the coffee. it smells bitter right now and you have to add a lot of sugar to get the right taste! don’t wait too long though,we are getting older and so is the disappointment for everyone including non leaf fans! my 67 cents worth!
“get rid of the deadwood,the one way players and older guys that can’t cut the mustard anymore for 1st and 2nd rd picks and really good prospects…” Really? Read what you said again – and then explain what GMs in their right mind are going to acquire “deadwood” “One way players” and “older guys that can’t cut the mustard” (you forgot “expensive” and “signed long term”) and give up 1st and 2nd round picks and prospects??? That is the non-starter of all non-starters. As for Nylander being a “great” pick – based on what? He’s slight and hardly physical and the main reason the Leafs called him back from the Swedish house league and installed him with the Marlies is to see exactly how he handles the tougher going over the next 40-odd games.