Shanahan/Players end of season press events

[LuncheonMeat]

I think it might be good to have a new thread as today's events likely produce lots of news/opinion.  I haven't had a chance to listen yet because of work, but thought I would share this quote from Bruce Arthur's article earlier today.  I like reading things like this, whether it makes a difference in the product who knows, but I think he has been saying all the right things so far.

That is what Shanahan keeps saying, publicly and privately. He doesn?t want to settle. In October he told me that winning a Stanley Cup here running the Leafs would mean more than anything he accomplished as a player. The three Stanley Cups, the gold medal, everything. He was born here and raised here, went to his prom as an 18-year-old NHL player here. His family and friends are still here. He?s emotionally invested in this thing.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/04/12/maple-leafs-bloody-sunday-solidifies-shanahans-power-arthur.html

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Here's Mirtle's quote from the Shanahan PC:

Shanahan says he knew all year there would be changes.

Shanahan says his goal is winning the Stanley Cup and yesterday was necessary part of that.

Shanahan on the clear cutting in the front office: "It became clear how far and how deep we had to do it."

Mark Hunter was key part in evaluating the Leafs scouting department. Must not have been impressed.

Shanahan: "We have some good pieces here. This is not a situation where we don't have anything to build from."

Clear that Hunter is going to be in charge of the scouting department entirely. Will be smaller scouting staff this year.

Shanahan says the challenge in Toronto is to stick to the plan.

So the Shanaplan is to live the Shanaplan everyday.

Shanahan says the fans are dying for someone to do what he is going to attempt with the Leafs.

Shanahan: "It takes as long as it takes."

Shanahan says he had to see some things for himself when asked why changes didn't come earlier. Said it would have been guessing.

Shanahan on getting McDavid: "It would certainly speed things up."

Shanahan hopes to have GM in place by the draft.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

MapleLeafsHotStove.com wrote out some full quotes: http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/04/13/shanahans-media-address-notable-passages/

I thought this was the most interesting:

On the replacement GM:

This job won?t be for some GMs, but those GMs won?t be for us. The one statement I don?t like to say is ?this is how it?s always been done.? It doesn?t make sense to me. I believe we are building a very capable and dedicated staff of people. The type of GM I want to bring to Toronto will recognize that and want to be part of the team.

He also said that if the team finds the right coach before they hire a GM they won't hesitate to bring him on board. Pretty clearly shows that whoever the GM is won't have full autonomy.

 

[Al14]

I think it might be good to have a new thread as today's events likely produce lots of news/opinion.  I haven't had a chance to listen yet because of work, but thought I would share this quote from Bruce Arthur's article earlier today.  I like reading things like this, whether it makes a difference in the product who knows, but I think he has been saying all the right things so far.

That is what Shanahan keeps saying, publicly and privately. He doesn?t want to settle. In October he told me that winning a Stanley Cup here running the Leafs would mean more than anything he accomplished as a player. The three Stanley Cups, the gold medal, everything. He was born here and raised here, went to his prom as an 18-year-old NHL player here. His family and friends are still here. He?s emotionally invested in this thing.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/04/12/maple-leafs-bloody-sunday-solidifies-shanahans-power-arthur.html

Well, where the hell was he when he was still a player.  Didn't seem to me that he made an effort to come HOME to play for the Leafs.

 

[cw]

He also said that he was looking to hire a GM - not a role we was going to do. He realized some GM candidates won't like Hunter & Dubas already here but "they're not a fit"

He also said he wants players who look like they're happy and interested in being in Toronto no matter how badly the team is doing. He felt that was the worst complaint this season. (something to that effect)

 

[cw]

http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/04/13/shanahans-media-address-notable-passages/
"In our mind we would like to see an improvement in our attitude and the way that we play. I think we understand if we make certain deals, especially if they reflect what we did at the deadline, it can take away from your lineup and hurt your lineup. I think people here can understand that. It?s a sophisticated market. What I don?t think they understand is people who give half efforts and don?t appear to want to play here. They have to at least give the effort and show a happiness and effort in being a Toronto Maple Leaf. Even if the record is the same record. We have to approach the game differently. I think that?s what had so many people upset this year."

Some guys on the Leafs first line won't like those words.

 

[Kin]

If anyone showed happiness playing on the team this year I'd think they were an idiot.

 

[LuncheonMeat]

MapleLeafsHotStove.com wrote out some full quotes: http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/04/13/shanahans-media-address-notable-passages/

I thought this was the most interesting:

On the replacement GM:

This job won?t be for some GMs, but those GMs won?t be for us. The one statement I don?t like to say is ?this is how it?s always been done.? It doesn?t make sense to me. I believe we are building a very capable and dedicated staff of people. The type of GM I want to bring to Toronto will recognize that and want to be part of the team.

He also said that if the team finds the right coach before they hire a GM they won't hesitate to bring him on board. Pretty clearly shows that whoever the GM is won't have full autonomy.

It seems like with the last few regimes, things were never done in the right order.  Like allowing a GM to hire his own coach, or allowing a coach to hire his own assistants.  That has always  struck me as backwards, and something that has never really changed.  On the surface it would appear it will be the same under Shanahan, but this time around it seems to make more sense in that he is trying to build a team of people working toward the same goals, rather than a strict hierarchy that starts at the top and flows down in terms of appointments.

This type of setup certainly seems to favor guys like Rob Blake or Mike Futa, who may be more willing to be part of that model, as opposed to an established GM who would likely want full control.  I also wonder what sort of difference this model makes in attracting an established head coach, or if Shanahan even wants someone in that vein.  Perhaps this is more appealing for someone like Jeff Blashill who may be looking to break into the league, and who is probably more on board with the analytics side of things.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

This type of setup certainly seems to favor guys like Rob Blake or Mike Futa, who may be more willing to be part of that model, as opposed to an established GM who would likely want full control.  I also wonder what sort of difference this model makes in attracting an established head coach, or if Shanahan even wants someone in that vein.  Perhaps this is more appealing for someone like Jeff Blashill who may be looking to break into the league, and who is probably more on board with the analytics side of things.

One other thing that Shanahan brought up is that he wouldn't rule out giving the head coach some sort of management role too. That would probably be pretty appealing to a lot of established coaches. So I actually wouldn't be surprised if they go for the lesser-known guy as the GM and more of a veteran guy as the coach.

 

[LuncheonMeat]

This type of setup certainly seems to favor guys like Rob Blake or Mike Futa, who may be more willing to be part of that model, as opposed to an established GM who would likely want full control.  I also wonder what sort of difference this model makes in attracting an established head coach, or if Shanahan even wants someone in that vein.  Perhaps this is more appealing for someone like Jeff Blashill who may be looking to break into the league, and who is probably more on board with the analytics side of things.

One other thing that Shanahan brought up is that he wouldn't rule out giving the head coach some sort of management role too. That would probably be pretty appealing to a lot of established coaches. So I actually wouldn't be surprised if they go for the lesser-known guy as the GM and more of a veteran guy as the coach.

Somewhere deep in Detroit, Mike Babcock's ears are ringing. 

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Somewhere deep in Detroit, Mike Babcock's ears are ringing. 

He's the obvious one, yeah. Ken Hitchcock would be the guy I'd keep my eye on right now. Decent chance if the Blues bow out early he could be seeking employment.

 

[L K]

Somewhere deep in Detroit, Mike Babcock's ears are ringing. 

He's the obvious one, yeah. Ken Hitchcock would be the guy I'd keep my eye on right now. Decent chance if the Blues bow out early he could be seeking employment.

Holy heck yes.  Of the "old guard" of head coaches one of Quenneville, Hitchcock or Babcock would be awesome.

 

[cw]

Somewhere deep in Detroit, Mike Babcock's ears are ringing. 

He's the obvious one, yeah. Ken Hitchcock would be the guy I'd keep my eye on right now. Decent chance if the Blues bow out early he could be seeking employment.

If there is nothing else out there, he might take it but at age 63, I think he'd be looking for something that would give him a shot sooner.

 

[LuncheonMeat]

Player exit interviews:

Phaneuf:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807635
Lupul:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807626
Bozak:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807630
Kessel:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807646
Bernier:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807655
Kadri:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807662
JVR:  http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=807654

 

[hap_leaf]

I don't see how anyone can explain the dark cloud over this organization that has lasted so long, through so many years and how it can be fixed.  Whatever Shanahan says, there is nothing he can say to make me believe he knows what to do when Burke did not.   

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I don't see how anyone can explain the dark cloud over this organization that has lasted so long, through so many years and how it can be fixed.  Whatever Shanahan says, there is nothing he can say to make me believe he knows what to do when Burke did not.   

It's pretty easy to explain really, at least in terms of the dark cloud over this organization since the 04/05 lockout. 1) The team basically had no idea how to work in the salary cap era and 2) The team wouldn't/couldn't perform an actual rebuild. Both of those issues appear to have been addressed by Shanahan.

 

[LuncheonMeat]

I don't see how anyone can explain the dark cloud over this organization that has lasted so long, through so many years and how it can be fixed.  Whatever Shanahan says, there is nothing he can say to make me believe he knows what to do when Burke did not. 

I think a big part of it comes down to trading away draft picks, and giving up too early on the players you do draft.  That has been a common theme with this organization for a long time, and hopefully it's something that changes for the better under Shanahan.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

If there is nothing else out there, he might take it but at age 63, I think he'd be looking for something that would give him a shot sooner.

Here's hoping that he's done a poor job at saving for retirement

 

[Highlander]

Burke was from Old School, Shanaplan is not from any credited University, he is an original thinker who understands what Burke didn't. Burke brought in his old school cronies, rotten to the core, Shanaplan is rooting out mediocrity and replacing with people of excellence, knowledge and dedication to the one thing we all want, a Stanley Cup and not just a one time deal, he wants to build a Chigaco style team that contends year in and year out.  We are the Toronto Maple Leafs and so is Shanaplan, finally I think we have someone who can do the job the only way and the right way. 

 

[hap_leaf]

Burke was from Old School, Shanaplan is not from any credited University, he is an original thinker who understands what Burke didn't. Burke brought in his old school cronies, rotten to the core, Shanaplan is rooting out mediocrity and replacing with people of excellence, knowledge and dedication to the one thing we all want, a Stanley Cup and not just a one time deal, he wants to build a Chigaco style team that contends year in and year out.  We are the Toronto Maple Leafs and so is Shanaplan, finally I think we have someone who can do the job the only way and the right way.

That's a heartwarming sentiment.  You're right on one point - that the Shanaplan would be wise to not rely on anything from the past.  The trouble is, there's nothing to say it will work any better...and Shanahan himself is totally unproven in the ways of building a team.