What would you do to fix the Maple Leafs ?

Question

What would your actions be if you could change the Maple Leafs ? I think most of us agree, that until the management is changed, they won't see the playoffs. So assume you are the new management... What would you do different ?

That should probably read as "win the playoffs"... but then who knows...

Answer 1

I think you have to define what 'new management' is.

The current management has been in place for 9 years, and has missed the playoffs 2x. Only Detroit, New Jersey, Ottawa, Colorado, and Anaheim have played more playoff games than Toronto under the current management regime.

My opinion (and this is apparently shared by media members of the Toronto Sun, Toronto Star, and Globemedia) is that the change needs to start at the top. Richard Peddie knows as much about hockey as the tribe elder of the Masae in Kenya...if that much. So, the first thing that needs to be done is that a President who knows hockey needs to be brought in. That person will then have to clean house and hire a new director of player of personnel and a new General Manager (because face it - with Quinn as GM, they averaged 100+ points a year - With JFJ as GM, they're averaging 90..and JFJ has that point for a OT/SO loss that Quinn didn't have). The new GM will also need to hire a coach. Maurice's career record is lousy. He had the Hurricanes slightly over 0.500 while it was the weakest division in the NHL, so he would have to go.

The Leafs have a great scouting department, and have done well drafting...............but when you start drafting around 80th....the gems are harder to find....so a new GM that won;t trade draft picks for dime a dozen players like Chad Kilger will be useful.

Midway through last year, Wayne Gretzky realized that buying free agents and trading for has-beens wasn't working for Phoenix, and their organization made the decision that they were no longer going to mortgage the future for today....a strategy that may backfire in fan-unfriendly Phoenix.

Toronto has to make a similar decision. They have a young goalie in Pogge that has all-star potential....build around him. They have a group of young players that play well when given ice time like Steen, Stajan, Wellwood and Tlusty. They have a couple of young guys on defence in White, Colaiacovo, and Wozniewski that are solid and can be built around. Kaberle, Antropov, and Ponikarovsky are good veterans that can provide leadership. The team needs a GM that can accept that these guys are the core of this team and they need to be built around. Sundin is a great player...but he's past 35. McCabe, Gill, and Kubina are all overpaid. Tucker is overpaid. Battaglia and Kilger are serviceable players, but aren't going to win you a Stanley Cup. John Pohl? He's not even NHL material. The only reason he is on the Leafs is because JFJ is here.

Contrary to what a previous responder said, the Leafs do have increasing TV ratings (up 4.3% through 10 games), the Leafs have sold out every game since 1932, the Leafs have 17,000 season ticket holders and waiting list of 8,000 more (including myself), the Leafs are the NHL's #1 team in merchandising. So, they don't have Phoenix's issues of will the fans go away.

In the 1980s the Leafs were far worse than they are now, and EVERYBODY hated Harold Ballard.............but the fans watched on TV, and the Gardens were sold out every night, and the merchandise flew off the shelves, and the team struggled to get 60 points a year under a parade of coaches named Nykoluk, Maloney, Brophy, Armstrong, Watt, and Carpenter and a GM named McNamara. MLG stock doubled during the 80s (just ask Jimmy Devallano, he made more as an owner of the Leafs than he made as Detroit GM).

But, the initial change has to be replacing Richard Peddie with a Hockey guy. And let that hockey guy hire more hockey guys to support him.

Answer 2

I'd try to do something like Dave Dombroski did for the Tigers (I know it's a different sport but it works almost the same way).

First, I'd go for a good veteran player who is also a good leader, something like a Brendan Shanahan but with a couple more years left than him. He would be able to help the team win and teach the younger guys.

Next, I'd put a lot of focus on drafting. The mark of a good franchise in any sport is a top level team with guys that came through the system. I'm not sure how Toronto has drafted in the past but, this is just a guess, seeing how they've played in recent years it couldn't have been too good.

At some point, there would be a surplus of young players, which is a good sign that you're drafting well. At that point, I would deal some players for a guy or two that could take us over the top and get the Leafs to the Cup.

As for coaching, I'm not sure what I'd do with Maurice. He's had some good points but I'm not sure if the down points are him or a product of bad players. I'd probably keep him around for a bit to see if it was one or the other. If it's him, I'd fire him and hire someone who will win. If it's not him, then I keep him until he wants to leave.

Answer 3

Fire Ferguson, trade Sundin at the deadline, and try to trade McCabe and Tucker as quickly as possible, take back junk if you have to, just make sure the contracts are expiring.

Players still consider Toronto an attractive option, but with the cap, the management has to do a better job of spending. Shed some salary, develop your youth, be patient with Maurice, and sign free-agents carefully.

Toronto fans may be rabid, but they're loyal. The Leafs were terrible from 1979-92 and yet they sold out every game. Take the time to rebuild. Besides, I think the Flyers have proven have quickly a team in the post-lockout era can turn itself around if moves are made intelligently.

Answer 4

well all know the Leafs are sold out every game and make tons of money every year. For the owners they are Happy because they are making money, So they have no reason to spend more money to make the team better if they are still selling out the games.
So the way to fix the Toronto Maple Leafs is to bring in another NHL hockey team to Toronto. This would put stress on the Maple leafs ticket sales and force the management to make the team better by trades and drafting.

Answer 5

The leafs offence is great. .1st or 2nd in the NHL in goals before tonight, and they face washington so hopefully they can add to that. All they need to do is get more solid defenceman. They spend like 3 mil on gill, 7 on mccabe, and 4 of something for kubina, thats terrible. Maybe if they were all half decent defensively i could see this. The leafs just need one or 2 defenceman. I bet Belak would do a better job than a few of those leafs defencemen. And he probably wouldnt score in his own net either

Answer 6

The only hope for the Leafs is complete and total implosion and a rebuild. Also it is a unique situation in Toronto. MANY people that attend the games at the ACC are not even fans at all. A vast majority of them are businessmen and others that really do not care about hockey just going for the novelty of it all. How else do you explain sell out after sell out at the prices that they are charging. (which btw looks like is going up another 30% for next season) 95% of the Leafs nation can NOT even afford to go to games anymore. That is bad on two fronts. #1 Eventually (like it looks like may be happening now) Leafs fans start looking elsewhere and start losing faith in their team. Slowly but surely fans are trickling away.(look at the declining TV ratings) #2 With sell out after sell out there is ZERO incentive to implode and rebuild. As long as rich fat cats are filling the stands there is not much one can do.

Answer 7

The leafs problem is having too many puck moving defenseman. they only have 1 defensive dman in Hall Gill and hes not your ideal "shut down" guy. they need to move mccabe for a stay at home guy. also need a better defensive game on their own side of the rink. sometimes the team looks completely lost when they dont have the puck, this has led to some soft goals this year.

Answer 8

Drop Hal Gill first off. He is horrible.
Secondly, drop Tucker. Talk about a cancer. He takes the dumbest penalties.
Next, trade McCabe for a few decent forwards or a defensive d-man.
Finally, get a goalie...trade Raycroft to anyone who would want him.
Why the Leafs took TWO players the Bruins (of all teams!) discarded is beyond me.

Answer 9

If I could make one change it would be at the top. I'd force the sale of the team to a single owner who would be committed not only to making money but to making the franchise great again. The current money-grubbing corporations have no soul and care little for giving the fans a cup winner.

Answer 10

Fire Ferguson to start. Then trade McCabe to free up cap money and then get a couple of younger defensemen. The Leafs are fine up front....