Game recaps, an update on Johnny Gaudreau and a call for the Oilers to properly develop their prospects.
Lucas Sbisa celebrates his overtime goal against the Jets.
THE VANCOUVER SUN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Luca Sbisa’s overtime goal snapped his 24-game goalless drought and lifted the Vancouver Canucks over the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-2. Jets coach Paul Maurice was mum over his decision to make Vancouver native Evander Kane a healthy scratch in this game.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could rev up the Evander Kane trade rumors which had gone dormant over the past couple of months.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens lost to the lowly Buffalo Sabres 3-2, giving the latter a 3-0-1 record in the season series.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: For whatever reason the Sabres have the Habs number this season. I think it could be the Canadiens don’t get “up” for games against bottom feeders. They also gave a listless effort over the weekend against the woeful Arizona Coyotes.
OTTAWA CITIZEN: The Senators continue to struggle to win consecutive games, falling 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This loss is another blow to the Senators fading playoff hopes. They’re 12 points out of contention.
TORONTO STAR: The Maple Leafs suffered their franchise-tying 10th consecutive loss, falling 4-3 to the Nashville Predators. Coach Peter Horachek made the curious decision of putting Jonathan Bernier back in the game after he was treated for a cut to his leg, even though backup James Reimer was playing well filling in for Bernier.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a stupid decision by Horachek and it cost the Leafs a chance to end their agonizing skid.
CALGARY SUN: Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau avoided what could have been a serious wrist injury on Monday’s game against the Jets. Gaudreau’s wrist was cut by a skate but fortunately it wasn’t serious and didn’t require stitches.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jason Gregor calls upon Oilers management not to rush prospects like Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse, believing they’ll develop better in the minors rather than being thrust too soon into NHL action.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: At least they had the sense to return Draisaitl to junior this season. Seeing how the “old boy’s network” runs the show in Edmonton, I’m not optimistic they’ll follow Gregor’s advice.
I’m still shaking my head at the Bernier decision last night. I understand that he started, however, the team seemingly reacted in a positive way with Reimer in net and was actually working and playing. The second Bernier was in net, the switch was flipped again and they suddenly were back they way they were from the start of the game. Unengaged and sloppy. It was just very startling and disappointing to see. You could almost buy into the tank conspiracy theories after that obvious tone change.
Agreed, though not on the same level as passing from the one yard line, it was really a bad coaching move to put Bernier back in. There really was no upside to that decision. Bernier comes in, the Leafs are leading, if he backstops the game to a win, Reimer is left out to dry, if he loses, then it’s all on Bernier. It was really a horrible move by management.
Which leads me to my next point. The problem with the Leafs is not the players. Players are players in any league, how they are put together, the evaluation of talent, the signing of contracts, the assembly of the team, those are all functions of management. And this really is the achilles heel of the Leafs, whoever in that organization in charge of evaluating talent has done a terrible job for many years. And if the process of evaluating talent is by consensus, be it draft talent, free agent talent, trade and player talent, than the entire group has failed, continues to fail, and will fail in the future in properly evaluating the Leafs talent.
It’s not necessary to go through the list of bad contracts, bad signings and bad trades to demonstrate this point. Suffice it to say, that signings, contracts and trades are not player responsibilities, they are management’s.
This is a much deeper problem then the GM position. I don’t think Shanahan is any more qualified to evaluate talent then Nonis is, what’s been Shanahan’s body of work that he can point to as being the person primarily responsible for putting together a winning team? None, a successful playing career is not management. So if no one person is in charge of the hockey in Toronto, no one makes the call, no one is responsible for “the plan” and nothing will change. Shanahan looks like a deer caught in the headlights everytime the camera pans to him in another Leafs game.
Whoever made the decision to pull Burke off the plane and fire him, that’s the guy responsible for this team’s woes. And until that guy is gone from the organization, none of the changes that need to be made, like firing the President, GM, coaching staff, and most importantly every scout working in the organization, and hiring hockey people will be made. And that is a much larger problem than a hockey problem. Its a MLSE problem, going to the core of the organization and how it is run. Remember the “bloody big deal!”, how successful did that turn out, and where is the head of the executive for that huge fiasco.
Burke? Lol he kept Wilson for so long and traded the future away for a guy who would rather score than win. Bottom out rebuild is the only way.
You miss the point of the post. it’s not about Burke, Nonis or Shanahan, its how MLSE approaches hockey.
Bernier’s return to the game is typical of what is wrong in TO. The lunatics are running the asylum! Horacheks response to Bernier’s return to the bench should have been “have a seat Bernie”. However he gives some lame explanation post game about it was Bernier’s game. It ceased being Bernier’s game when he didn’t return for the start of the 3 Rd period. It was solidified when the Leafs finally got on a roll & took the lead. Laviolette throws a hissy after the 3rd Leaf goal, Preds play picks up then a cold Bernier comes into the game. Sorry, but the response should have been “Bernie, have a seat”. The first line should have being right beside him because they did nothing last night, have done nothing since Christmas but they keep getting sent out, never miss a shift & certainly never miss a PP opportunity. It happened with Carlyle & Wilson too. The old Toronto Maple Leaf entitlement is alive and well.
If you want the leafs to win games this year you are an idiot. Any decision that leads to a loss is the right one. Management is too stupid for a rebuild, lucky the team is just so bad they are forcing a rebuild. Mcdavid.
Then I am an idiot. With the way the draft system works, the Leafs only have a 6% chance of winning the Mcdavid sweepstakes. Even at the League worst, Buffalo only has a 20% chance of winning the lottery. You want to lose to be a 1 in 5 favourite to draft McDavid?
I don’t know how old you are, but if you were a fan in 2008 you would have known that the Leafs have already rebuilt, and this is where we ended up. And the 2008 rebuild was with a clear plan, a blueprint for what the Leafs should look like. No one knows what that blueprint is like, or knows who should be drafting the blueprint. Hence my post.
At least when the Penguins tanked, they were guaranteed Lemiuex. You want to tank, and have a best case scenario that you have an 80% chance of NOT getting Conner McDavid. That sounds more idiotic than winning.
How is wanting to see the team that I have chosen to cheer for for years win being idiotic? Even when the team has gone into a tailspin in the past, there was more of an effort put forth than there is now even on the “bad” nights. A team loses, I get that so long as there is an evident effort put forth I’m okay with that. But to do what the Leafs did last night and seemingly purposely kill all momentum was just insane.
Can we all pause for a moment of silence to remember the Playoffs hopes my Sens once had…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Thank you.
I don’t know if its possible, allowed or otherwise a past practice; but is possible for the Leafs; or any team for that matter, to fire two coaches within the same season?
This Horachek guy loves to make speeches justifying why the team, under his direction, is currently 1-10-1. They suck, don’t care for the most part; and look disingenuous in they’re on ice effort as a collective whole.
Well if Horachek is still here come April 11, and the team is then 1-40-1 at that time, would not the worlds best tank job have come to fruition and all the players on board for it have shown everybody just how sh**ty they can play?