Ron Wilson vs. Brian Burke: Does Wilson's Tactics Undermine Burke's Master Plan?

It sure isn't the country club anymore is it?

Love him or hate him, Ron Wilson is one of the more decorated coaches currently in the National Hockey League.  He has over 500 wins as a coach and led team USA to an improbable championship game victory over favoured Canada in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey.

But he certainly has an interesting way of doing things doesn't he? 

After last night's embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Maple Leafs find themselves without their originally scheduled day off this morning, and instead on the ice.  Being bag skated of all things. 

Sure, making a practice and life hard for these players is about the only ammunition a coach has, but as the Maple Leafs enter one of their longest stretches of hockey without a real break, one has to wonder what sort of lasting effect this could have going forward?

For every player you will find that likes and admires Ron Wilson, you will find another who doesn't exactly brim with warm and fuzzes when it comes to discussing their former bench boss.

San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick gushed when asked about Wilson, the man who has coached him twice, first in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and more recently last season with San Jose. 

He spoke of having tremendous respect for the new Leafs coach, and gave him a vote of confidence for what he is doing in Leafs nation.

Joe Thornton on the other hand?  Well, not so much.

While he didn't go as far to directly make comments about Wilson, his
"I don't care" reaction when asked what it meant to him to have the former Sharks coach back in the building spoke volumes.  He scoffed, illustrating in not so many words that he didn't have the time of day to talk about his former boss.

Everywhere Wilson has been he has left a lasting impression on every player.  Some good, some bad.

And it appears early on, his stint in Toronto will be no different.

This morning's unscheduled practice was the latest episode, but perhaps the even bigger storyline came from last night's game itself. Maple Leafs veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle dressed for the game, but was humiliated as he sat on the bench during the entire opening period.

When he did finally get on the ice to start the second, he was -four within about 20 seconds.

It was a move that clearly bothered Kaberle as he sat stoic on the Leafs bench as the five other defenseman were paraded out in a variety of different, ever changing combinations. 

While it's hard to argue that Kaberle's play has been solid in this Western road trip, one has to wonder if Wilson's public embarrassment of one of the Leafs' top players serves the team and franchise well heading into the future.

You see, there will come a time, likely sometime in February, when Brian Burke will approach GM Tomas Kaberle, regarding the possibility of waiving his no trade clause.

February is a long ways away, let's not kid ourselves. By then Kaberle could be on a torrid pace, and could be back in the coach's good books logging his customary top minutes.

But, what if he doesn't?  And what if Wilson and Kaberle continue this soap opera into the new year and eventually into the trading deadline?

Similar to the way he questioned Carlo Colaiacovo's conditioning and diet habits, Wilson could make it very hard for Brian Burke to trade Tomas Kaberle, if the situation remains the same.

Well, not so much hard to trade him.  More like hard to get the proper value for him.

It would be a tough sell for Burke to try and tell other GM's that Kaberle is a top pairing, very important defenseman, worthy of a package of picks and players, when he is currently buried by the Maple Leafs.  In a way it doesn't give Burke a leg to stand on.

From the coach's perspective, you can't blame Wilson, to a degree.  While some may think it was too harsh to bench Kaberle, any coach will tell you that sitting players is really the only ammunition they have.

As a coach you are given a group of players, and it's up to you to make that group work, and achieve or over achieve.

Benching, scratching, or relegating a player down a line is really the only thing a coach can do.  

It would serve the Maple Leafs organization on many levels for this to be resolved, and resolved quickly.

It may have been rust, or bad luck that Kaberle was -four last night after the benching, but what if it wasn't?  What if his lackluster performance last night was a direct result of the blue liner not being pleased with the public call out?

Tomas Kaberle is an important part of this team, both on the ice and in the conversations between general managers across the National Hockey League.

For the sake of the Maple Leafs both short term and long term, here's hoping Tomas Kaberle and Ron Wilson can both work past this and the Czech blue liner can quickly return to form.

It would be of most importance.  Both for now, and for later.