Toronto Maple Leafs: Spreading Out the Blame

Dan Sturgis — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:36:25 -0400

Will next season be a race for the bottom, or another push at success?

For the third season in a row, our Leafs went out with a disappointing bang, although a bang nonetheless. Just enough to give us hope for next season... again.

Where does the blame lie?

Number one - John Ferguson Junior.

The final chapters of the legacy of Ferguson Jr. are yet to be written. The Leafs suffered this season, but the future is a little less dim. Some of the huge contracts he handed out were weighted, thus Blake and McCabe will be a little less painful on the upcoming cap hit.

His major gaffes are virtually untradable. Bell, Blake and Raycroft don't exactly have people lining up to buy out their contracts. For cap space reasons, if Toronto decides to max out again and make a push, all three players could theoretically be relegated to the Marlies.

Toskala is a great goaltender. But it still irks me that we picked him up for a first round pick, while Philly got a comparable tender in Biron for a measly second rounder! And the kick in the nuts is Bell's overpaid contract and jail sentence distraction.

Numer Two - Training and contitioning.

Toronto was sluggish out of the gate, which makes me think they weren't as fired up as they could have been at the beginning of the season.

Both goaltenders were pretty poor in the first twenty games. The goalie coach needs to be given a long, hard look.

Toronto was one of the most oft-injured teams in the league. While luck plays a role, so does conditioning. Proffessional atheletes with excellent conditioning get injured a lot less and have longer careers. Case in point? Chris Chelios.

The blame is two fold in this instance. The players should have the drive to maintain the best physical health they can. If this means working out hard every day, and twice on off days, then so be it. Stonger players are better players and are injured a lot less.

Numer Three - Andrew Raycroft

In Raycroft, we had a former Calder trophy winner. A guy who came into the league on fire and at one point, seemed to have the brightest future of any goaltender in the league. It was my hope that with good training, coaching and motivation, he would return to his former form.

Instead, in his first season as a Leaf, he allowed more goals than any other goaltender in the NHL. Faced with fighting for the starting position in his second season, he's been terrible. His awful record of two wins in the fifteen games he's started is a major factor as to why Toronto is going to miss the playoffs again.

Number Four - A Handful of Failed Expectations

Before the season, there was considerable optimism. We missed the playoffs by one point, and with the additions of Blake, Bell and Toskala, and the maturing of other players, Toronto should be able to make it over that playoff hump.

But...

Wellwood wasn't anywhere near the player we'd hoped he'd be.

The same can be said for Tucker, Blake and Bell. Blake is particularly irritating as he shoots from almost anywhere. Those types of players drive me nuts.

McCabe and Kubina gave us a mixed bag. It wasn't until the second half of the season before they both started playing to their potential.

Coliacovo was his usual oft-injured self.

The remainder of the team, for the most part, lived up to expectations. But when a significant chunk of your top two lines don't produce, it hurts.

Now, one final question remains. Should Toronto explode their team and rebuild, or should they simply do a makeover push for the playoffs in 2009.

NHL Draft: Why Does the League Reward Failure?

Dan Sturgis — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:16:57 -0400

In the real world, if someone is terrible at their job, they are fired. If a business can't make money, it goes bankrupt.

In European soccer, if a team finishes in last place, they are relegated to an inferior (and usually less profitable) league.

In the NHL, if a franchise stinks and comes in last place, instead of being punished, they are rewarded with the top young talent.

Is that the way it should be?

I'm a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and they are in the worst position of all!

By blowing their $50 million budget, Toronto always has a borderline competitive team. A team that won't ever come in last place, or likely even the bottom five.

This would be good in a league where abysmal failure is punished. But in the NHL, their competitiveness means they will never get a shot at drafting a superstar, while likely never being good enough to win the Stanley Cup either.

Most irritating of all are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who from 2002 to 2006, drafted fifth overall, first overall, second overall, first overall, and second overall.

They now have two of the top five players in the league, and a large pool of high-draft talent rounding off the team. Add a couple of rental players, and the only thing they need is a few Stanley Cups to prove the point. In the NHL, the worst teams have the brightest future.

If I could scratch the NHL system, the first thing I'd eliminate is the draft, followed by the salary caps. Players should go where they want to go from the start.

Back when Eric Lindros boycotted playing for the Nordiques, I was mad at his decision. But now, I don't blame him. Why go to a team destined to fold/relocate. Today, I'd like to see more stars boycott playing for struggling hockey markets.

Failure shouldn't be rewarded. It should be punished.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Dan Sturgis

Toronto Maple Leafs: Spreading Out the Blame

NHL Draft: Why Does the League Reward Failure?