Confirmed with Link: Leafs hire Guy Boucher and Mike Van Ryn as assistant coaches

CincoHolio

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I guess I'm the only guy underwhelmed with the Boucher hire. I've always recalled fans of both TB and Ottawa hating the guy by year 2 and complaining of his inability to adapt. I guess as assisstant, sure. If it comes to HC if Keefe is fired, well it's not Keefe so, yay?
 
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ACC1224

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Do these hiring show that Treliving doesn’t believe that Keefe has passed all the tests yet?
 

Budz

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Was reading some articles about his PP.

Boucher preaches:
Lot’s of motion
Multiple looks
Creating multiple options and not trying to force the same 2-3 plays over and over.

That narrow minded focus was my biggest complaint of the last few years.
 

stickty111

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Jan 23, 2017
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I dont think we should be excited too much at Boucher possible replacement for Keefe. He is not an upgrade.
I think there are worse options then Boucher if he replaces Keefe, but I'm not sure he's an upgrade. He has had more success in the playoffs so there is that but if you look at Ottawa, some of that was Karlsson.
Overall I like the 2 hires. Boucher brings some attitude for sure, and Van Ryan is respected in the league.
Chynoweth didn't really deserves to lose duties though. However It seems like he's still the lead guy on defence like the PK, while Van Ryan will handle the defence but Chynoweth will have input on that too. Of all the assistants, I think Chynoweth is the only we didn't have complaints about. All though Cadbury was good, we didn't like the PP at times.

Was reading some articles about his PP.

Boucher preaches:
Lot’s of motion
Multiple looks
Creating multiple options and not trying to force the same 2-3 plays over and over.

That narrow minded focus was my biggest complaint of the last few years.
Thats good enough for me
 
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kb

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""

People are actually hoping this team stumbles so bad, that we replace the coach? I mean, actively hoping the team starts really badly?

I can get not liking Keefe, but to hope the team sucks so bad we replace him in the middle of the season? Personally, I would have replaced Keefe in the offseason, but given that isn't going to happen, I would have thought most Leafs fans would be cheering for him to succeed, with the support of the very good new assistants.

Then again, I've never understood why fans hope their team fails... except in rebuilds.

Ego, and the need to be right trumps all.

It's because of who hired him. The hate is bordering on obsession.
 
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Da Cool Rula

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""

People are actually hoping this team stumbles so bad, that we replace the coach? I mean, actively hoping the team starts really badly?

I can get not liking Keefe, but to hope the team sucks so bad we replace him in the middle of the season? Personally, I would have replaced Keefe in the offseason, but given that isn't going to happen, I would have thought most Leafs fans would be cheering for him to succeed, with the support of the very good new assistants.

Then again, I've never understood why fans hope their team fails... except in rebuilds.

Agree with everything u said
 
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Buds17

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Do these hiring show that Treliving doesn’t believe that Keefe has passed all the tests yet?
I personally like the idea of having an assistant (coach and GM) in tow that can be promoted to the top job if/when necessary.
 

TorMapleJays

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I still suspect Dubas was calling the shots from the press box. Comments made about "getting the call" and his stubbornness to change leads me to believe that Keefe was more told what to do rather then rest on his own intuition.

Maybe Tree is taking the training wheels off and giving him a legit shot to make something work. One thing is for sure, Keefe will get challenged a lot more on his decisions internally in war room like situations. Cant be a bad thing and the word accountability is starting to show up.

Looking forward to the start of this season. They will be more fun to watch and.. hopefully they will score a few more goals in the play offs. If their secondary scoring starts to chip in, that should open up space for the 40 million dollar players.
 

ULF_55

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I still suspect Dubas was calling the shots from the press box. Comments made about "getting the call" and his stubbornness to change leads me to believe that Keefe was more told what to do rather then rest on his own intuition.

Maybe Tree is taking the training wheels off and giving him a legit shot to make something work. One thing is for sure, Keefe will get challenged a lot more on his decisions internally in war room like situations. Cant be a bad thing and the word accountability is starting to show up.

Looking forward to the start of this season. They will be more fun to watch and.. hopefully they will score a few more goals in the play offs. If their secondary scoring starts to chip in, that should open up space for the 40 million dollar players.

That's quite the indictment of Keefe.

A coach who won't coach shouldn't be retained.
 

Mess

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Do these hiring show that Treliving doesn’t believe that Keefe has passed all the tests yet?

Keefe is currently in a lame duck position on an expiring contract and I believe his replacement is already on board, having passed zero test and hanging by a thread. IMO

Have the Leafs already hand-picked Sheldon Keefe's replacement if he starts slow?​

After a very disappointing end to a very hopeful Maple Leafs postseason, one in which Leaf fans and team alike were unsure whether head coach Sheldon Keefe would return to reprise his role, Keefe was indeed brought back by new GM Brad Treliving.

Following the departure of former assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who landed the head coaching gig in Washington, the Leafs opted to hire two new coaches in Mike Van Ryn and Guy Boucher to step into assistant coaching roles behind the bench, Boucher drawing powerplay responsibilities while Van Ryn steps in to run the defense. Imagine that - a defensive coach in Boucher now brought in to oversee the powerplay? This move has backup plan written all over it.

Treliving's decision to bring in Boucher is a bit of a security blanket of sorts for Keefe.

Boucher is no stranger to the league. Having coached first the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (1997-2000), Rimouski Océanic (2003-2006) & Drummondville Voltigeurs (2006) in the QMJHL in his early days, he began his NHL career with a stint with the Montreal Canadiens but in 2010 was most notoriously hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Memorably creating a "1-3-1" defensive structure, Boucher went on to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in his rookie season.

Boucher has no doubt shown with his NHL experience that he can propel a team further than Maple Leafs have made it in decades - 2003-04 to be exact. There's also something to be said about the fact that having Boucher in Toronto could keep Keefe on his toes and challenge him to remain diligent and aware of what may happen if he stumbles in this, the final year of his contract. An excellent bit of forethought by the new man in charge, Brad Treliving, in Toronto.
 

IPS

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Ego, and the need to be right trumps all.

It's because of who hired him. The hate is bordering on obsession.
Can't be anything about his lack of coaching abilities or anything? It's gotta be who hired him?

I don't give a shit who hired him dude, his coaching was absolutely terrible against Florida and that's why I'd prefer him gone.
 

ACC1224

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Can't be anything about his lack of coaching abilities or anything? It's gotta be who hired him?

I don't give a shit who hired him dude, his coaching was absolutely terrible against Florida and that's why I'd prefer him gone.
It's in fact the opposite, only a handful like him as a Coach based on who hired him. The blind love all things Dubas is really puzzling.
He should have been dismissed after the Montreal series.
 

notbias

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Feb 16, 2017
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Do these hiring show that Treliving doesn’t believe that Keefe has passed all the tests yet?

Treliving telling Keefe they will work on his contract extension at some point makes me think he has passed all the tests in his eyes.
 

Mess

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Can't be anything about his lack of coaching abilities or anything? It's gotta be who hired him?

I don't give a shit who hired him dude, his coaching was absolutely terrible against Florida and that's why I'd prefer him gone.
The key is not who hired Keefe its who hired Guy Boucher as his assistant and his potential replacement.

A real coach gets to hire his own assistant coaches for his team, or at least is heavily involved in the process, but when the GM gives you your guys, then its sends a clear message as to the belief in the coach by the GM.

If Keefe was 100% secure then there wouldn't even have been any discussion or ambiguity in the subject of staying or going, but his poor disappointing playoff results for themselves.

If BT wasn't so busy with enough pressing stuff on his plate with higher priority issues, then Keefe would already likely have been fired. IMO
 

Mess

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He's been to 2 conference finals so yes he is
Its never a good omen for your head coach when your GM assigned assistant coach has taken 2 different teams Tampa Bay and Ottawa to the final 4 conference finals in the playoffs and has a higher playoff winning % then the head coach.

The stage has been set and another slow start like last year losing 6 of your first 10 games to some of the weakest NHL teams Montreal, Arizona, San Jose and Anaheim and Leafs will have a new coach by Christmas.

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