The Leafs Management vs NHL

[Guilt Trip]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2016/05/04/recapping-24-months-of-brendan-shanahan/

Back on May 8th, 2014 ? almost two years ago to this day ? the Maple Leafs, lead by Brendan Shanahan and Dave Nonis, signed Randy Carlyle to a two-year extension with an option for a third year. Leafs fans were sick and tired of a team that was poorly structured, lacked effort, and had a penchant for finding new ways to collapse epically, whether it be it from playoff positions or in a playoff game. Fans saw that ? despite a poorly constructed core ? Randy Carlyle was a primary reason for the Leafs? frequently embarrassing play. The contract extension of Carlyle sent the fanbase into an uproar, and his final season played out just as everyone expected.

Looking back, was it evil genius on the part of Brendan Shanahan? Did he see two and three steps ahead in paying a coach(es) to be the sacrificial lamb for a grander plan he was devising? If, on May 8th of 2014, you had a crystal ball and told a panicking Leafs fan that Shanahan was going to pull off the following over the course of the next two calendar years:

* Start his first draft by picking the most skilled player, foregoing a tantalizing 6?3, 225 power forward, with their eighth overall pick.
* Hire one of the best and hardest working scouts in the game in the fall in Mark Hunter to head up his amateur scouting operation.
* Let Carlyle coach the team as it predictably tailspun out of control, fire him, and let a powerless assistant coach help steer the team into the draft lottery.
* Actually trade the iron-clad contract of David Clarkson for Nathan Horton.
* Participate in and/or preside over one of the largest bloodlettings in NHL history: firing Dave Nonis, Peter Horachek, assistant coach Steve Spott, video coach Chris Dennis, goalie coach Rick St. Croix, chief pro scout Steve Kasper, and director of player development Jim Hughes. And then approve Mark Hunter?s firing of a staggering 18-plus scouts on top if it.
* A month later, in a grand and much-hyped whale hunting expedition, hire what many consider to be the best coach in the world in Mike Babcock ? a move that many considered to be a fanciful pipe dream of only the most delusional fans.
* Hire the runner-up OHL coach of the year to coach the Marlies.
* Hire the OHL coach of the year as assistant coach of the Leafs.
* Watch a first-time 28-year-old Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel to orchestrate a draft that saw the team curiously trade down and stockpile picks using value charts to draft highly skilled players one after another ? a foreign concept to fans and media who follow the team closely, and one that was derided immediately by some traditionalist media types but widely praised by experts as a home-run draft and one of the best for the Leafs in decades.
* At the opening of free agency, trade the team?s best player ? who he deemed to be the lynchpin for their lack of effort ? in a ?get him out of town? trade that seemed ? and still seems ? to be a bit light on returns, but underscored an aggressive and focused plan of peeling back the team to its studs and leaving no stone unturned.
* Sign primarily analytics positive bargain players in free agency and not heed to the pressure of signing higher-profile players to bad contracts.
* Hire the lifetime New Jersey Devil and living legend General Manager, Lou Lamoriello ? a perfect counterbalance after the criticism faced for assembling a front office staff scant on NHL executive experience.
* Finally admits that team is not going to be good and encourages the fans to hang in there, telling them that ?there will be pain? and that their patience is appreciated.
* After the previous year of the tail wagging the dog and the media giving and getting more scandals than they could even handle (starting even before training camp), a much-needed airtight vacuum of information transfer creates a ghost town for the regular scoops and scandals.
* Watch as the newly assembled and seemingly unstoppable AHL team rips the league to shreds.
* Watch as the 2015 drafted prospects lead junior leagues in scoring at their respective positions at various points throughout the 2015-16 season.
* Instill a hard-working culture of defensively-responsible, tactically-nuanced and analytics-friendly hockey.
* Make amends with who many consider the best Maple Leaf of all time ? Dave Keon ? and lay to rest a decades-long standing feud ? a feat attempted and failed by many.
* Introduce new young players from the AHL for cameos and send them back down once the team is playing too well.
* Build up and ship out players at the trade deadline to acquire more picks as you prepare for a last-place finish.
* Get 12 draft picks for the upcoming draft.
* Conduct a hard-earned, last-place finish that is somehow praised and applauded.
* Get a standing ovation at home from the fans at season?s end despite finishing dead last in the NHL.
* Win the draft lottery in a year that a unicorn ? a big, extremely skilled, franchise centerman ? is the clear-cut first overall pick.
* Watch your top junior prospect win the OHL?s most outstanding player award.
* Prepare for your highly-favoured AHL team to push for the Calder Cup.

They forgot the Winnik trade.

And Kyle Dubas...can't underestimate his input on both the Marlies and Leafs.

 

[herman]

And Kyle Dubas...can't underestimate his input on both the Marlies and Leafs.

I am ashamed to admit that I did not notice that missing from the list.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2016/05/04/recapping-24-months-of-brendan-shanahan/

Back on May 8th, 2014 ? almost two years ago to this day ? the Maple Leafs, lead by Brendan Shanahan and Dave Nonis, signed Randy Carlyle to a two-year extension with an option for a third year. Leafs fans were sick and tired of a team that was poorly structured, lacked effort, and had a penchant for finding new ways to collapse epically, whether it be it from playoff positions or in a playoff game. Fans saw that ? despite a poorly constructed core ? Randy Carlyle was a primary reason for the Leafs? frequently embarrassing play. The contract extension of Carlyle sent the fanbase into an uproar, and his final season played out just as everyone expected.

Looking back, was it evil genius on the part of Brendan Shanahan? Did he see two and three steps ahead in paying a coach(es) to be the sacrificial lamb for a grander plan he was devising? If, on May 8th of 2014, you had a crystal ball and told a panicking Leafs fan that Shanahan was going to pull off the following over the course of the next two calendar years:

* Start his first draft by picking the most skilled player, foregoing a tantalizing 6?3, 225 power forward, with their eighth overall pick.
* Hire one of the best and hardest working scouts in the game in the fall in Mark Hunter to head up his amateur scouting operation.
* Let Carlyle coach the team as it predictably tailspun out of control, fire him, and let a powerless assistant coach help steer the team into the draft lottery.
* Actually trade the iron-clad contract of David Clarkson for Nathan Horton.
* Participate in and/or preside over one of the largest bloodlettings in NHL history: firing Dave Nonis, Peter Horachek, assistant coach Steve Spott, video coach Chris Dennis, goalie coach Rick St. Croix, chief pro scout Steve Kasper, and director of player development Jim Hughes. And then approve Mark Hunter?s firing of a staggering 18-plus scouts on top if it.
* A month later, in a grand and much-hyped whale hunting expedition, hire what many consider to be the best coach in the world in Mike Babcock ? a move that many considered to be a fanciful pipe dream of only the most delusional fans.
* Hire the runner-up OHL coach of the year to coach the Marlies.
* Hire the OHL coach of the year as assistant coach of the Leafs.
* Watch a first-time 28-year-old Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel to orchestrate a draft that saw the team curiously trade down and stockpile picks using value charts to draft highly skilled players one after another ? a foreign concept to fans and media who follow the team closely, and one that was derided immediately by some traditionalist media types but widely praised by experts as a home-run draft and one of the best for the Leafs in decades.
* At the opening of free agency, trade the team?s best player ? who he deemed to be the lynchpin for their lack of effort ? in a ?get him out of town? trade that seemed ? and still seems ? to be a bit light on returns, but underscored an aggressive and focused plan of peeling back the team to its studs and leaving no stone unturned.
* Sign primarily analytics positive bargain players in free agency and not heed to the pressure of signing higher-profile players to bad contracts.
* Hire the lifetime New Jersey Devil and living legend General Manager, Lou Lamoriello ? a perfect counterbalance after the criticism faced for assembling a front office staff scant on NHL executive experience.
* Finally admits that team is not going to be good and encourages the fans to hang in there, telling them that ?there will be pain? and that their patience is appreciated.
* After the previous year of the tail wagging the dog and the media giving and getting more scandals than they could even handle (starting even before training camp), a much-needed airtight vacuum of information transfer creates a ghost town for the regular scoops and scandals.
* Watch as the newly assembled and seemingly unstoppable AHL team rips the league to shreds.
* Watch as the 2015 drafted prospects lead junior leagues in scoring at their respective positions at various points throughout the 2015-16 season.
* Instill a hard-working culture of defensively-responsible, tactically-nuanced and analytics-friendly hockey.
* Make amends with who many consider the best Maple Leaf of all time ? Dave Keon ? and lay to rest a decades-long standing feud ? a feat attempted and failed by many.
* Introduce new young players from the AHL for cameos and send them back down once the team is playing too well.
* Build up and ship out players at the trade deadline to acquire more picks as you prepare for a last-place finish.
* Get 12 draft picks for the upcoming draft.
* Conduct a hard-earned, last-place finish that is somehow praised and applauded.
* Get a standing ovation at home from the fans at season?s end despite finishing dead last in the NHL.
* Win the draft lottery in a year that a unicorn ? a big, extremely skilled, franchise centerman ? is the clear-cut first overall pick.
* Watch your top junior prospect win the OHL?s most outstanding player award.
* Prepare for your highly-favoured AHL team to push for the Calder Cup.

They forgot the Winnik trade.

For a good laugh, somebody needs to dig up some old newspaper articles criticizing the hiring of Shanahan.

 

[Kin]

I like most of the things on that list but let's be real, people here wouldn't even give Nonis credit for the Clarkson trade. Shanahan didn't do that. 

 

[McGarnagle]

With the clarkson trade, I think the only credit that needs to be made is to the ownership group.

 

[Kin]

With the clarkson trade, I think the only credit that needs to be made is to the ownership group.

And even then there's a limit to how impressed i am with a team that could probably carry a 110-120 million payroll agreeing to stretch it to 75.

 

[herman]

Another huge achievement: the abolition of facial hair.

The real one that was missed was the signing of Brandon Pridham.

 

[Kin]

Full points, I was super impressed by how Shanahan managed to pull off that Lottery win. 

 

[Al14]

Full points, I was super impressed by how Shanahan managed to pull off that Lottery win.

I was not impressed with the timing of this lottery win.  He should have made it happen last year! 

Matthews is no McDavid!  :'(

 

[cujo4ever]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2016/05/04/recapping-24-months-of-brendan-shanahan/

Back on May 8th, 2014 ? almost two years ago to this day ? the Maple Leafs, lead by Brendan Shanahan and Dave Nonis, signed Randy Carlyle to a two-year extension with an option for a third year. Leafs fans were sick and tired of a team that was poorly structured, lacked effort, and had a penchant for finding new ways to collapse epically, whether it be it from playoff positions or in a playoff game. Fans saw that ? despite a poorly constructed core ? Randy Carlyle was a primary reason for the Leafs? frequently embarrassing play. The contract extension of Carlyle sent the fanbase into an uproar, and his final season played out just as everyone expected.

Looking back, was it evil genius on the part of Brendan Shanahan? Did he see two and three steps ahead in paying a coach(es) to be the sacrificial lamb for a grander plan he was devising? If, on May 8th of 2014, you had a crystal ball and told a panicking Leafs fan that Shanahan was going to pull off the following over the course of the next two calendar years:

* Start his first draft by picking the most skilled player, foregoing a tantalizing 6?3, 225 power forward, with their eighth overall pick.
* Hire one of the best and hardest working scouts in the game in the fall in Mark Hunter to head up his amateur scouting operation.
* Let Carlyle coach the team as it predictably tailspun out of control, fire him, and let a powerless assistant coach help steer the team into the draft lottery.
* Actually trade the iron-clad contract of David Clarkson for Nathan Horton.
* Participate in and/or preside over one of the largest bloodlettings in NHL history: firing Dave Nonis, Peter Horachek, assistant coach Steve Spott, video coach Chris Dennis, goalie coach Rick St. Croix, chief pro scout Steve Kasper, and director of player development Jim Hughes. And then approve Mark Hunter?s firing of a staggering 18-plus scouts on top if it.
* A month later, in a grand and much-hyped whale hunting expedition, hire what many consider to be the best coach in the world in Mike Babcock ? a move that many considered to be a fanciful pipe dream of only the most delusional fans.
* Hire the runner-up OHL coach of the year to coach the Marlies.
* Hire the OHL coach of the year as assistant coach of the Leafs.
* Watch a first-time 28-year-old Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel to orchestrate a draft that saw the team curiously trade down and stockpile picks using value charts to draft highly skilled players one after another ? a foreign concept to fans and media who follow the team closely, and one that was derided immediately by some traditionalist media types but widely praised by experts as a home-run draft and one of the best for the Leafs in decades.
* At the opening of free agency, trade the team?s best player ? who he deemed to be the lynchpin for their lack of effort ? in a ?get him out of town? trade that seemed ? and still seems ? to be a bit light on returns, but underscored an aggressive and focused plan of peeling back the team to its studs and leaving no stone unturned.
* Sign primarily analytics positive bargain players in free agency and not heed to the pressure of signing higher-profile players to bad contracts.
* Hire the lifetime New Jersey Devil and living legend General Manager, Lou Lamoriello ? a perfect counterbalance after the criticism faced for assembling a front office staff scant on NHL executive experience.
* Finally admits that team is not going to be good and encourages the fans to hang in there, telling them that ?there will be pain? and that their patience is appreciated.
* After the previous year of the tail wagging the dog and the media giving and getting more scandals than they could even handle (starting even before training camp), a much-needed airtight vacuum of information transfer creates a ghost town for the regular scoops and scandals.
* Watch as the newly assembled and seemingly unstoppable AHL team rips the league to shreds.
* Watch as the 2015 drafted prospects lead junior leagues in scoring at their respective positions at various points throughout the 2015-16 season.
* Instill a hard-working culture of defensively-responsible, tactically-nuanced and analytics-friendly hockey.
* Make amends with who many consider the best Maple Leaf of all time ? Dave Keon ? and lay to rest a decades-long standing feud ? a feat attempted and failed by many.
* Introduce new young players from the AHL for cameos and send them back down once the team is playing too well.
* Build up and ship out players at the trade deadline to acquire more picks as you prepare for a last-place finish.
* Get 12 draft picks for the upcoming draft.
* Conduct a hard-earned, last-place finish that is somehow praised and applauded.
* Get a standing ovation at home from the fans at season?s end despite finishing dead last in the NHL.
* Win the draft lottery in a year that a unicorn ? a big, extremely skilled, franchise centerman ? is the clear-cut first overall pick.
* Watch your top junior prospect win the OHL?s most outstanding player award.
* Prepare for your highly-favoured AHL team to push for the Calder Cup.

They forgot the Winnik trade.

And the Phaneuf trade.

 

[Kin]

They forgot the Winnik trade.

And the Phaneuf trade.
[/quote]

Shanahan didn't do those things.

 

[herman]

Shanahan didn't do those things.

A good chunk of that list was not directly Shanahan, but he certainly put the pieces in place for those things to happen.

 

[Kin]

A good chunk of that list was not directly Shanahan, but he certainly put the pieces in place for those things to happen.

Yeah, all due respect it was kind of a confusing list. It was giving Shanahan credit for the good things Nonis did, then credit for firing Nonis, then the credit for things the replacements did.

 

[bustaheims]

Yeah, all due respect it was kind of a confusing list. It was giving Shanahan credit for the good things Nonis did, then credit for firing Nonis, then the credit for things the replacements did.

Yeah. It's a little strange in that way. I think it was meant more as a list of things that show how the team's direction and philosophy have changed since Shanahan was hired, rather than giving credit to anyone for any particular moves.

 

[herman]

Yeah, all due respect it was kind of a confusing list. It was giving Shanahan credit for the good things Nonis did, then credit for firing Nonis, then the credit for things the replacements did.

Yeah. It's a little strange in that way. I think it was meant more as a list of things that show how the team's direction and philosophy have changed since Shanahan was hired, rather than giving credit to anyone for any particular moves.

In that light, it's still substantial and significant how much this team has changed in merely two seasons. It looks like it's all going in the right direction, and I'm super excited about that, but we're still a few years off from seeing the full harvest of fruit.

 

[Al14]

A good chunk of that list was not directly Shanahan, but he certainly put the pieces in place for those things to happen.

Yeah, all due respect it was kind of a confusing list. It was giving Shanahan credit for the good things Nonis did, then credit for firing Nonis, then the credit for things the replacements did.

Ultimately, Shanahan is the General running the war.  As a result, he gets credit for winning the battles IMHO.  He has all his Commanders in place.  Those that failed to deliver were discharged from service.  ;D

 

[Kin]

Yeah. It's a little strange in that way. I think it was meant more as a list of things that show how the team's direction and philosophy have changed since Shanahan was hired, rather than giving credit to anyone for any particular moves.

Sure although, again, pointing out the things Nonis did seem like they're not entirely a function of whatever "new" direction or philosophy they might have. Likewise, "winning the lottery" is not a philosophy or direction, it's the definition of luck.

 

[rdowdall]

Yeah. It's a little strange in that way. I think it was meant more as a list of things that show how the team's direction and philosophy have changed since Shanahan was hired, rather than giving credit to anyone for any particular moves.

Sure although, again, pointing out the things Nonis did seem like they're not entirely a function of whatever "new" direction or philosophy they might have. Likewise, "winning the lottery" is not a philosophy or direction, it's the definition of luck.

Well if Shanahan can bend space and time such that he can focus on all events happening independent of time and then push the desired outcome in to our version of space and time, then he may deserve a little bit of credit. 

 

[herman]

Yeah. It's a little strange in that way. I think it was meant more as a list of things that show how the team's direction and philosophy have changed since Shanahan was hired, rather than giving credit to anyone for any particular moves.

Sure although, again, pointing out the things Nonis did seem like they're not entirely a function of whatever "new" direction or philosophy they might have. Likewise, "winning the lottery" is not a philosophy or direction, it's the definition of luck.

Once Shanahan came on board, I'd say it was pretty clear Nonis was just doing what he was told to do, vs. before when he was continuing his fine work of doing what Burke told him to do.

 

[ZBBM]

Full points, I was super impressed by how Shanahan managed to pull off that Lottery win.

So was that dude from the Montreal Gazette.