Confirmed with Link: Big changes, Nonis and co let go (Press conference 2pm)

[Rants Mulliniks]

what does it mean to "build around" guys like Phil? was that not the rationale for the Bozak extension? the party line was that the first line is great at scoring, Phil likes carrying the puck, Bozak doesn't carry the puck, Phil likes offense, Bozak doesn't have much skill so he must be good at defence. seems like "building around" Phil to me.

the Leafs should have been acquiring as much talent as possible, instead they were doing exactly what to me looked like an attempt to “build around†their key players. again, they decided that the first line was fine, the second line was going to be fine with Kadri and Lupul, and went out and spent money and assets on guys they thought would complement what they had. Clarkson, Bolland, Bernier, an attempt at Gorges.

i mean the other part of this is that it's tough to add guys that are as good or better than the two guys you're paying 15 mil a year for, especially when one of them cost you two top 10 picks. and all the more so when you've dealt picks and prospects and dished out big contracts for players that are meant to fill the idiosyncratic holes created by a team that you (front office hockey guy with years of experience) know is good despite the fact that they get killed all the time.

If you've identified two pieces that you think are core, you should be figuring out what complementary pieces allow them to maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. For example, what makes Phaneuf special is his hitting and offense. With the tools he has, to really exploit those things, he needs to take high risk. In an ideal world we could find a way to make him above average on both fronts but in most cases that doesn't happen. What you don't do is remove the thing he can do that is above average. So you very specifically hunt for that partner that allows him to exploit his strengths. Look at what we have paired him with and where they fit elsewhere. Same goes with Phil. Boston very clearly showed that when paired properly, Phil is a positive force. You don't need people like you are suggesting (the as good or better). You need guys like Steen, Bergeron, etc. who will never command the upper salaries but perfectly offset the other person's skill set. Don't get me wrong, if you can get the player that has everything, great but that's unlikely.

Pat Burns was probably the best coach I've seen in my 5 decades of watching the Leafs. He excelled at the concepts of maximizing strengths/minimizing weakness, getting buy in to roles and overall getting the most out of what he had.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

he traded Tlusty a week after he got the job.

I never said he didn't make a single move. He made a couple others as well. All were minor in nature. Much like Shanahan.

 

[leafs in five]

If you've identified two pieces that you think are core, you should be figuring out what complementary pieces allow them to maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.

again, this was what they thought they were doing when they gave Bozak his deal.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...e-tyler-bozaks-success-depends-on-phil-kessel

Instead, the no-frills puck distributor models his game after Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, a player who might not finish in the top 30 in scoring but who does so many other things — winning faceoffs, killing penalties, being strong defensively — that ultimately help his team win games.

 

[leafs in five]

I never said he didn't make a single move. He made a couple others as well. All were minor in nature. Much like Shanahan.

Tlusty was probably our second best prospect when Burke took over. which is a sad testament indeed but he was a recent first round pick, at least. Stralman probably couldn't have been called a prospect anymore by the time he was moved but Burke did that inside of a year on the job as well.

 

[613Leafer]

again, this was what they thought they were doing when they gave Bozak his deal.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...e-tyler-bozaks-success-depends-on-phil-kessel

Yea, except Bozak sucks defensively. Models his game after Bergeron?

 

[The Apologist]

Yes, but we were expecting Sedin-Sedin ...then Tavares, then Perry or Getzlaf ...Burke is the biggest blowhole in hockey, and he was in the key market for his ego to go nuts

Yup, much more realistic now. We have people insisting McDavid or nothing, Stamkos is coming, etc etc.
It looks like our next GM is already a blowhard and hasn't even been hired yet.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

We tried to build around Phil and Dion but honestly we only really built around Kessel.

Dion is a hard hitting defenseman who can carry the puck and has a hard slapshot, for all the shots he missed he is still around average on getting pucks on net. But the Leafs thought they could mould him in to a 2-way force, a do it all hard man who also leads the troops. He was set up to fail the moment he got here. He simply dont have the hockey sense to play that role. He played at his best when paired with a defensive minded player who did not mind covering for him.

Up until Horacheck took over we have played to Kessels strength as a team. Wilson tried to do something differently but that back fired when Burke grabbed him by the ear and told him who really was running things. Not a fan of Wilson or his player management but at least he tried for a while to change Kessel.

Carlyle rather quickly realised how to maximise the offensive talent at his disposal. He told the defenders to take less chances and never count on the top forwards helping them out if they pushed forward and he allowed the first line to stay together since they usually provided offense for him.
Horacheck also kept the first line together but he was tougher on the team when it came to keeping the forwards and defenders as a unit covering the zones. This meant Kessel all of a sudden could not go on as many breaks as he wanted to (no pun intended) but it also meant the defenders got more involved going forward.

Bozak would probably have been resigned either way but he got the contract he got and has played the role he has played only because he is BFF with Kessel and they got some kind of chemistry together.
JVR is probably the only player who can keep up with Kessel when on the rush so he was always going to play with him. When Lupul joined and was fresh out of rehab he could do that as well but he has lost a step since then. That is building around a player.

Building around players is always going to be a debatable topic but we most definitely built around Kessel and tried to build around Phaneuf even do they thought Phaneuf was something he wasnt.

 

[080]

Looks as though McLellan is done in SJ. Solid candidate.

 

[SprDaVE]

Looks as though McLellan is done in SJ. Solid candidate.

It's amazing the talent he had in San Jose and not be able to contend. I understand that the core there was a little... rotten, but still, Makes you wonder...

He could very well be our Alain Vigneault though.

I like his coaching methods for the most part. From what I've read, he seems to be very good with younger players as well.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Looks as though McLellan is done in SJ. Solid candidate.

He has been linked with us in the past. He was an assistant at Detroit in Shanahans last year there. He stayed for 3 years and was on the bench when Detroit won the cup in his final year.

Could be an option. Have not followed San Jose at all but I doubt coaching has been their issue.

 

[WilliamNylander]

I like McLellan...has a knack for getting his team to the playoffs. His power plays are also great.

Only thing that puts me off is his lineup choices this year, why was he playing John Scott? Hopefully this was from upper management and he did not have much say in his roster.

 

[Trapper]

He has been linked with us in the past. He was an assistant at Detroit in Shanahans last year there. He stayed for 3 years and was on the bench when Detroit won the cup in his final year.

Could be an option. Have not followed San Jose at all but I doubt coaching has been their issue.

A lot will depend on how much a coach wants to win now (of course everyone wants to win) vs. how much they want to teach now and maybe not win for a while.

 

[kihei]

It's amazing the talent he had in San Jose and not be able to contend. I understand that the core there was a little... rotten, but still, Makes you wonder...

He could very well be our Alain Vigneault though.

I like his coaching methods for the most part. From what I've read, he seems to be very good with younger players as well.

His record in the Pacific: 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 5th. Maybe it's just a case of an aging core and the fact that just about every team gets tired of their coach at some point. And he has now reached that point.

 

[burpsalot]

Looks as though McLellan is done in SJ. Solid candidate.

I initially thought we would hook-up with Babcock but with the way our management team has been forming I no longer see that as a fit. McLellan has since become my front runner followed by Hitchcock. I think I would prefer Hitchcock more with an established team, McLellan more with a younger group of developing players.

 

[nordiques100]

His record in the Pacific: 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 5th. Maybe it's just a case of an aging core and the fact that just about every team gets tired of their coach at some point. And he has now reached that point.

Obviously there were issues between the bosses and players there after Thornton was stripped of his captaincy. This too after Marleau was previously removed as captain years before. There were problems between management and players and perhaps McLellan was caught in between or worse, was part of it.

Plus, they were in between retooling with youth and hanging on to their old guard. I think too, the plan was after those veterans were removed from leadership, they would be traded, but that never happened and it could have led to the overall poor season by the team. There seemed to be a lot of disjoint within the organization and with not everyone on the same page, the losses mounted.

 

[Mess]

After Shanny's Sunday, bloody Sunday and organization cleansing completing Phase I (management tear down).

This should be considered ground zero and the official start of the Shanahan Era in TO, as he will now put into place his own GM, Coach, Scouts, Development and other management team to rebuild the Leafs with his vision and plan after erasing past. Year 1 being mainly assessing the situation and creating a game plan moving forward.

Phase II will move on the players and the anticipated scorched earth agenda with the Shanahan knife cutting as deep into player personnel changes as he did management.

This is a very exciting time for Leaf Nation fans that have yearned & wanted a true and patient draft rebuild consisting of building a team from the ground up blue print to success.

Come on Conner McDavid.

 

[SprDaVE]

His record in the Pacific: 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 5th. Maybe it's just a case of an aging core and the fact that just about every team gets tired of their coach at some point. And he has now reached that point.

And his 'advanced stats' are also among the best in the league in that span last I checked.

But the point still remains, can he go from one of the best cores in the league to one of the worst, or at least one of the youngest? This is the most important question. I think he can, but I don't know much about him aside from his results in San Jose and that he was with the Wings for awhile. Also, does he really want the challenge of coming to Toronto or does he want a more establish team to coach? I don't want him to be simply about the money, because we all know the Leafs are probably going to give him one of the best deals he could sign. I want a coach that really wants to make this into a winner... I hope Shanahan can find the proper guy.

 

[Super Mega]

I like McLellan...has a knack for getting his team to the playoffs. His power plays are also great.

Only thing that puts me off is his lineup choices this year, why was he playing John Scott? Hopefully this was from upper management and he did not have much say in his roster.

Doug Wilson.

 

[080]

It's amazing the talent he had in San Jose and not be able to contend. I understand that the core there was a little... rotten, but still, Makes you wonder...

He could very well be our Alain Vigneault though.

I like his coaching methods for the most part. From what I've read, he seems to be very good with younger players as well.

I agree to some extent. But SJ did have a number of deep-ish playoff runs. And you can`t account for certain players who disappear in the playoffs.

He`s in his 40s so I can see him being willing to wait-out any potential Cup runs for a while.

 

[Commander Clueless]

It'll be pretty fun seeing Todd McLellan taking spiteful pot shots at the team in the media 5 years from now, after being the Leafs newest coach-killing victim.

These San Jose coaches, am I right?

 

[SprDaVE]

Chiarelli fired in Boston. Here we go.

 

[613Leafer]

Chiarelli fired in Boston. Here we go.

SC win in 2011, SC finalist in 2013, President's Trophy winner in 2014. Misses the playoffs once by like 2-3 points or whatever it ended up being (with Chara + Krejci both being injured for the majority of the season), and he gets fired.

Pretty harsh if you ask me. I guess ownership might be pissed about the Seguin trade.

 

[phillipmike]

SC win in 2010, SC finalist in 2013, President's Trophy winner in 2014. Misses the playoffs once by like 2-3 points or whatever it ended up being, and he gets fired.

Pretty harsh if you ask me. I guess ownership might be pissed about the Seguin trade.

They shouldnt be as they probably gave the green light. Boston is just looking for a scapegoat. Either way it will work out. They have a great team; a new GM and coach will retool and they will be a contender in the playoffs again. Chiarelli will be a GM probably as soon as next season and he will make them into a contender unless its the Leafs.

 

[Igy]

I'd be hiring Chiarelli right away. Big mistake from Boston. A decline was inevitable with Boston's aging core and salary cap restrictions.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Chiarelli teams play a Western conference style. He would be an interesting GM in Toronto. May not mesh well with Dubas. Hunter I think he could get a long with.