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Post by franko on Apr 12, 2015 11:35:10 GMT -5
The first of what could be many changes in Toronto happened Sunday with the Maple Leafs firing general manager Dave Nonis and interim head coach Peter Horachek.
The Leafs finished fourth-last in the league with a 30-44-8 record (68 points).
The team also announced assistant coaches Steve Spott, Chris Dennis, and Rick St. Croix have been relieved of their duties while Steve Staios will stay on as Manager of Player Development.
Assistant GM Kyle Dubas and Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter will share GM duties on an interim basis.
Horachek took over for the fired Randy Carlyle on January 6 and was at the helm of one of the worst second halves of the season in the league. He inherited a 21-16-3 record, good enough for a wildcard playoff spot at the time, and guided the team to a 9-28-5 record the rest of the way.
Nonis’ tenure will be remembered most for long-term extensions to Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, and Tyler Bozak; the big money signing – and subsequent trading – of winger David Clarkson; and the acquisition of goalie Jonathan Bernier.
The former Vancouver Canucks general manager joined the Leafs under then-President and GM Brian Burke, before being named GM in 2013 upon Burke’s dismissal.
A former Nashville Predators assistant coach, Horachek also coached the Florida Panthers on an interim basis in 2013-14, finishing with a 26-36-4 record.
tsnain't that a surprise . . . what's Carlyle doing now -- other than laughing?
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Post by blny on Apr 12, 2015 12:13:24 GMT -5
Up next, the Bruins.
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Post by Disp on Apr 12, 2015 12:29:27 GMT -5
Off with their heads! Next!
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Post by CentreHice on Apr 12, 2015 13:05:26 GMT -5
Nonis was Dead GM Walking as soon as Leiweke appointed Shanahan.
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Post by blny on Apr 12, 2015 13:09:59 GMT -5
Word is a big chunk of the scouting staff is gonna get canned too.
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Post by Skilly on Apr 12, 2015 13:22:06 GMT -5
Nonis has now been at the helm of two teams fall from grace ... Perhaps it's best he stay away from hockey.
I'd hope that Toronto would find a job for Horachek. He is not a very good coach, but the Leafs gave up on the season when they curiously fired Carlyle. And PH knew he was only the fall guy, and he did it with a lot of humility.
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Post by PTH on Apr 12, 2015 13:36:05 GMT -5
I think Shanahan will need to either take over as GM, or clearly step out of hockey operations. Right now, no sane high-profile GM candidate would accept the job, knowing that he's there, second-guessing every single move.
They'll need to hurry though, the best time to move Kessel and Phaneuf is likely to be at the draft, so the new GM needs to get hired, settle in and get a game-plan in place, and then get the best possible deals for those two (and likely others as well).
I can't help looking at the Leafs roster and wondering which parts we could pick up...
I'd take Reimer over Tokarski in any case (though I haven't bothered looking at salaries).
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Post by blny on Apr 12, 2015 13:36:08 GMT -5
LeafsPRDir of Scouting, Steve Kasper and Dir of Player Dev. Jim Hughes fired.
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Post by franko on Apr 12, 2015 13:40:34 GMT -5
I'd take Reimer over Tokarski in any case (though I haven't bothered looking at salaries). $2, then UFA |
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Post by blny on Apr 12, 2015 14:00:09 GMT -5
I like Reimer too. Aside from seemingly being a quality guy, I think he's done as good as you can in his situation. Horrible environment to play in.
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Post by jkr on Apr 12, 2015 15:50:48 GMT -5
Nonis has now been at the helm of two teams fall from grace ... Perhaps it's best he stay away from hockey. I'd hope that Toronto would find a job for Horachek. He is not a very good coach, but the Leafs gave up on the season when they curiously fired Carlyle. And PH knew he was only the fall guy, and he did it with a lot of humility. Agree about Horachek. He made he best out of an impossible situation. Leafs put him in a terrible spot. |
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Post by 24in93 on Apr 12, 2015 15:55:50 GMT -5
Horachek getting the Cunneyworth treatment. An impossible spot to be in and neither will likely see the NHL again.
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Post by franko on Apr 12, 2015 22:01:52 GMT -5
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Post by blny on Apr 12, 2015 23:10:53 GMT -5
Horachek getting the Cunneyworth treatment. An impossible spot to be in and neither will likely see the NHL again. Randy landed on his feet in Buffalo. He's held a couple of different positions, but with Tim Murray he's the Player Development Coach. |
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Post by seventeen on Apr 13, 2015 0:37:17 GMT -5
It's such a sham. Nolan, for example, never had a chance. Murray did everything in his power to blow up the season and succeeded. That's fine, but to paint Nolan as the fall guy for this? Nolan is not a bad coach. He got caught in that situation where Buffalo is going to make a huge run at Babcock, so there had to be an open coaching job. Would you go to Buffalo? I mean that as a serous question. They have Girgensons and Kane up front, Bogosian, Ristolainen and Zadorov at the back end, and in the pipeline is Hudson Fasching and Sam Reinhart. This year they'll get either McDavid or Eichel up front, plus another two first rounders I believe and then they have a couple more next year. Perhpas more than money (which he'll get wherever he goes), it's the chancet to win and the city which will drive Babcock's decision. Buffalo itself is a no-brainer. You avoid it if possible. But the team itself is intriguing. You'll be coaching a franchise player, some great supporting pieces, a natural leader (Rienhart), plus two potential #1 dmen. Goal is a mystery, but there are some great building blocks in Buffalo. The other thing of importance is your boss. Pegula seems good, but Tim Murray? That part I'm not sure of. I don't think Babcock will go back to Detroit. It's less the environment than the fact he knows the team is on a decline and there's nothing come up to replace Datsyuk and Zetterberg. It will be a really interesting summer.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 13, 2015 5:36:05 GMT -5
I'm looking at the main page to TSN and it's dominated with Leaf related stories ... is this the summer I have to look forward to ...
Cheers.
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Post by franko on Apr 13, 2015 5:54:16 GMT -5
well, there won't be room for Leaf talk after Wednesday, so they've got to get it in while they can . . . I guess.
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Post by Disp on Apr 13, 2015 6:27:59 GMT -5
They'll make room to talk about them, unfortunately.
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Post by BadCompany on Apr 13, 2015 6:41:51 GMT -5
There is a Babcock/Shanahan connection, so that's something to consider. Mind you, it's only one year, so I'm not sure how much to read into it.
Given the current turmoil in LA, and the Sutter predisposition towards picking up their balls and going home, I wouldn't thrown LA out of the Babcock mix. That's a pretty good, yet underachieving team over there. If Babcock is as good as they say he is that could be a real soft landing for him.
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Post by 24in93 on Apr 13, 2015 6:47:58 GMT -5
Horachek getting the Cunneyworth treatment. An impossible spot to be in and neither will likely see the NHL again. Randy landed on his feet in Buffalo. He's held a couple of different positions, but with Tim Murray he's the Player Development Coach. Didn't know that. Glad to hear it. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 13, 2015 7:33:22 GMT -5
There is a Babcock/Shanahan connection, so that's something to consider. Mind you, it's only one year, so I'm not sure how much to read into it. Given the current turmoil in LA, and the Sutter predisposition towards picking up their balls and going home, I wouldn't thrown LA out of the Babcock mix. That's a pretty good, yet underachieving team over there. If Babcock is as good as they say he is that could be a real soft landing for him. Posted a Sun article yesterday and I'm keeping an eye on what's going on in San Jose ... not sure what Doug Wilson will do out there, but they need changes ... is Wilson even part of the puzzle moving forward ... Cheers. |
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Post by CentreHice on Apr 13, 2015 7:44:39 GMT -5
I'm looking at the main page to TSN and it's dominated with Leaf related stories ... is this the summer I have to look forward to ... Cheers. They've always been the Toronto Sports Network...so it doesn't surprise me. Now that the embarrassing 4th consecutive instalment of Nightmare on Bay Street is over, it's time for spin and hype once again. The McDavid lottery will be held this Saturday at 8 pm. So I expect a few front-page features on which draft position the Leafs are likely to draw...and it'll just ramp up from there into next season. I guess TSN figures the Habs have RDS....but I wonder if a house-cleaning/rebuild in Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Winnipeg, or Ottawa would generate as many stories on the main page. Somehow I doubt it. |
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Post by Skilly on Apr 13, 2015 10:36:59 GMT -5
The McDavid lottery will be held this Saturday at 8 pm. So I expect a few front-page features on which draft position the Leafs are likely to draw... If the Toronto media can create multiple articles on the Leafs likely draft position then they have way too much time on their hands ... If Buffalo wins lotto, they select 4th If Arizona win lotto, they select 4th If Edmonton wins lotto, they select 4th If Toronto wins lotto, they select 1st If someone behind Toronto wins lotto, they select 5th I just saved the Toronto media a whole lot of trees, both real and cyber... |
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Post by blny on Apr 13, 2015 20:28:13 GMT -5
How do you attract a quality person for the GM position when he comes in knowing that he has to work within the confines of Shanahan's plan and not his own?
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Post by franko on Apr 13, 2015 20:57:20 GMT -5
the headline: Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan hopes fans have the ‘stomach’ to endure long rebuildthe question: why wouldn't they? they've had to endure the last 50 or so years; what's another half century or so? the articleincludes such thoughts as . . . “The challenge here in Toronto is not to come up with the plan,” Shanahan said. “The challenge in Toronto is to stick to it." good one. let's decide to agree to follow our plan . . . if and when we can find one. sure; it's worked so far. the Leafs need to find a general manager and a head coach, although Shanahan said not necessarily in that order. this fits right in with your question about philosophy, BLNY: How do you attract a quality person for the GM position when he comes in knowing that he has to work within the confines of Shanahan's plan and not his own? along with Shanahan has to find a general manager who is willing to work in a scenario where two of his lieutenants — Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter, who were named interim general managers on Sunday — have already been chosen for him.When asked when the Leafs would become competitive again, Shanahan said, “It takes as long as it takes” see: what's another half century of so. so there you have it: the "Shanaplan" is to agree to come up with a plan, and then to agree to implement the plan they agree to come up with, and then to agree to stick to the plan that they agree to implement after they agree to come up with one. Some time after that I'm sure someone will suggest that actually having a plan might be a good idea. Cue more consultation. After five or six years of that they'll be looking at our Reggie days and wondering what our problem was with him. |
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Post by blny on Apr 13, 2015 21:33:29 GMT -5
I will say that I agree with Shanahan in that he believes the market can handle a lengthy rebuild from the perspective of gutting the team. The fans are tired of the way things have been done. They want it done right. He talked about it not having been done before because of media pressure as well. He didn't buy that excuse either. Again, I agree. It's a hard road to gut and rebuild. You're often not there to see the fruits of your labour.
The only thing to do is to strip it down to the studs and start over. Whether Shanahan, his model, and those he assembles are right for the job only time will tell.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 14, 2015 9:15:52 GMT -5
I remember when Brian Burke first came in ... he signed all of these UFAs and there was a lot of hope in Toronto ... I even remember a few Habs fans (buddies of mine) who thought, and I quote, "... maybe Bob Gainey should take a look at Toronto and see how to build a hockey team" ... that's a paraphrase, but that was one of the opinions that showed up on my Facebook feed ... the Leafs went 4-0 to start the season, then the roof gradually caved in from there ... I also remember the signing of Mike Komisarek by the Leafs ... I was taking with a few Leaf fans they pointed out that they had stolen our toughest player when, in fact, we were kind of getting tired of waiting for him to come around in Montreal (to be fair, I wanted him back at a discounted rate, but the way Lucic owned him kind of changed that) ... I was also listening to Glenn Healey when he mentioned the Leafs terrible draft record over the years ... he used Montreal as a comparison (go figure that) and when I thought about the UFAs they brought in, I could see why the Leafs weren't going anywhere ... the core of the team has to be built from the draft and not around FAs (a la Burke and Neil Smith) and a lot of those draft picks were either useless (as NHLers) or the picks had been traded away ... bring in a proven guy who knows talent ... we have Trevor Timmons and the Leafs have??? ... having said that, I now fully understand why Bergevin went the direction he did when he let both Gionta and Gorges go ... it was necessary to develop the leadership from the youth in the lineup while moving forward ... I also have to say that, while Gainey and Gauthier knew talent, they didn't so much address the lack of character (no slight on Gorges/Koivu) issues that never seemed to go away ... we had a conference championship team, but there was no humility in that dressing room ... we had a lot of talent, but minimal character ... enter Marc Bergevin ... n'uff said ... this is only one area I understand Shanahan to be addressing and it's a good thing because they seriously lack character in that dressing room ... anyway, that's the world according to Garp me ...
Cheers.
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Post by blny on Apr 14, 2015 9:30:06 GMT -5
I don't think there can be any doubt that Burke bowed to pressure from somewhere. After talking about rebuilding the team, he went into UFA mode. Nonis continued that.
Burke is in Calgary, brought in Treliving - who seems to be doing a bang up job. They're doing it right there. Ground up. Monahan looks like a gem. Giordano, Wideman, and Brodie are a strong trio of puck movers. They may have pulled a Montreal and peaked a little sooner than they should have. Lord knows I'd have loved a second tank year after Galchenyuk. Imagine if we had Monahan - taken 6th that year. He's looking like a Toews type.
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Post by Skilly on Apr 15, 2015 11:32:10 GMT -5
I don't think there can be any doubt that Burke bowed to pressure from somewhere. After talking about rebuilding the team, he went into UFA mode. Nonis continued that. Burke is in Calgary, brought in Treliving - who seems to be doing a bang up job. They're doing it right there. Ground up. Monahan looks like a gem. Giordano, Wideman, and Brodie are a strong trio of puck movers. They may have pulled a Montreal and peaked a little sooner than they should have. Lord knows I'd have loved a second tank year after Galchenyuk. Imagine if we had Monahan - taken 6th that year. He's looking like a Toews type. Doesn't Treliving's father own the Flames? OK no, I just checked, his father Jim Treliving, owns the Central Hockey League. I guess that's where Brad got his foot in the hockey door. I knew his father had a connection to hockey. Thought Boston Pizza had a connection to Calgary Flames too ... but cant find it |
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