Toronto Maple Leafs 2013/14 Season
- Thread starter Ironhead
- Start date
Nonis, Carlyle or the players
Where do you think the main problem can be attributed to.
Nonis: Poor signings/acquisitions/trades i.e. Clarkson? Poor roster.
Carlyle: Poor motivator/game planner?
Players: They were good acquisitions (based on past performances) and are getting good coaching yet for some reason they have become complacent/uncoachable.
The last 3 games have been brutal. What a difference from last year's team. Last year was pretty much Burkes's team. This year has more of Nonis' stamp on it.
Where do you think the main problem can be attributed to.
Nonis: Poor signings/acquisitions/trades i.e. Clarkson? Poor roster.
Carlyle: Poor motivator/game planner?
Players: They were good acquisitions (based on past performances) and are getting good coaching yet for some reason they have become complacent/uncoachable.
The last 3 games have been brutal. What a difference from last year's team. Last year was pretty much Burkes's team. This year has more of Nonis' stamp on it.
I've decided to bet the Leafs again tonight against the Caps, surely they can't get clobbered 4 games in a row. Or can they?
I know the coaching has changed Carlyle / Wilson but has it really changed ... Both are old taditional ( Mike Keanon type of coaches ) and that style has a short shelf life in today's NHL ... Everyone slammed the Flyers when they fired their coach ( it's not a coaching problem they are crap is what was said ) but they went from lottery team to playoff team ..
The core is signed up for a long time and so lets get a coach who can get the best out of his core .
This is still by and large a Burke's team. Riemer, Phanuf, Gunarrson, Franspn, Fraser, Gardiner, Kessel, JVR, Lupul, Kadri, Kulemin, Bozak, & all 4th liners.... And the problem lies within this core than what Nonis have brought in IMO.
The three major acquisitions of Nonis :
Bolland - the team record was 10-4 before he was injured, he was their best two way player;
Bernier - he played great until the last couple of games. He blew the chance to establish himself as the no. 1 but he's still young enough to get better and he needs better support from his teammates. I don't think you can fairly say he was a bad acquisition, yet.
Clarkson - I liked the signing at the time as I thought he was a tougher player than Komarov and had much better offence upside, BUT he has been disappointing, not only his offensive contribution been negligible, he doesn't go around hitting opposition and get under their skin as Komarov used to do. Perhaps the 10 game suspension put his timing off, and he's been playing with 3rd and 4th line centres most of the time. Still he's being paid 6mil a year and he hasn't contributed as Komarov would have for half of the money.
I also took a quick count and it was staggering to note that since Nov 1 (after the Bolland injury), the team has had a regulation (excluding o/t & s/o games) record of 5-15. This has got me thinking maybe this is a lot worse team than I thought. Great goaltending and shoot out wins have been able to mask a lot of their problems. They've been consistently getting outplayed and outshot. Without those points (s/o), they'd be more of a lottery pick contender than a playoff team.
I still maintain the biggest weakness is the centre position, Burke was never able to address that, and I thought Nonis did a great job in acquiring Bolland. All his other moves have been of a bandaide nature, while they didn't help much, they also didn't cost much.
When (?) Bolland gets back, he may need time to readjust and by then it may already be too late.
You can't expect miracles overnight, the devastation of the Peddie era was too extensive to put right in four years. Last season was an aberration, to quote Woody Allen, "The Leafs are who we thought they were".
Firing Carlyle wont change anything, its best to stay the course. They gave up too much foot speed by letting both Grabovski and Frattin go. Clarkson is a poor substitute for Komarov, without the agitating Finn our checking line is giving gum jobs. Also Phaneuf is having to do more than he should, I can only hope that the extended benching has allowed Fraser to recover his health, if not, no playoffs for TO.
Fortunately Komarov wants to return to the fold, the Leafs have until July 30 to get him signed.
Firing Carlyle wont change anything, its best to stay the course. They gave up too much foot speed by letting both Grabovski and Frattin go. Clarkson is a poor substitute for Komarov, without the agitating Finn our checking line is giving gum jobs. Also Phaneuf is having to do more than he should, I can only hope that the extended benching has allowed Fraser to recover his health, if not, no playoffs for TO.
Fortunately Komarov wants to return to the fold, the Leafs have until July 30 to get him signed.
so the key to making the playoffs, is to play FRASER, on a regular basis? just asking.
Looks like the Laffs have released the transcript of Brian Burke's job interview of Randy Carlyle:
BB: Randy, I know we're close buds but I have to ask you a few questions to look like I did some due diligence.
RC: Sure boss, no problem.
BB: OK Randy, how do you spell "motivate"?
RC: Oh, that's easy - M-O-T-I-V-E-I-G-H-T!
BB: Oh, geez, Randy - that's wrong. OK, try - "strategy"?
RC: OK, let me concentrate - S-T-R-A-T-I-G-E-E?
BB: Randy? WTF? Ok, try "truculent". No, no - that's too hard. Try - Intense.
RC: Got it. I-N-T-E-N-S-E.
BB: YES, ALL RIGHT - YOU'RE HIRED!!!
BB: Randy, I know we're close buds but I have to ask you a few questions to look like I did some due diligence.
RC: Sure boss, no problem.
BB: OK Randy, how do you spell "motivate"?
RC: Oh, that's easy - M-O-T-I-V-E-I-G-H-T!
BB: Oh, geez, Randy - that's wrong. OK, try - "strategy"?
RC: OK, let me concentrate - S-T-R-A-T-I-G-E-E?
BB: Randy? WTF? Ok, try "truculent". No, no - that's too hard. Try - Intense.
RC: Got it. I-N-T-E-N-S-E.
BB: YES, ALL RIGHT - YOU'RE HIRED!!!
Although it's easy to get the two confused, I thought that line was from Dennis Green.
Carlyle has to go... the players are not playing for him anymore and they cannot fire 20+ players.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014...-randy-carlyle-coaching-himself-out-of-a-job/
I agree with all of this analysis except for the goaltending bit. Both goalies just got tired of facing 47+ shots per night.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014...-randy-carlyle-coaching-himself-out-of-a-job/
I agree with all of this analysis except for the goaltending bit. Both goalies just got tired of facing 47+ shots per night.
That was actually a pretty entertaining game. If they can manage to keep playing like that the wins will come and playoffs will be back in sight. Clarkson is the most expensive 3rd line winger in the league who doesn't score and doesn't really hit or do much of anything.
I vaguely recall a member saying that those who don't score contribute in other ways.
That's what I mean by Clarkson doesn't do much of anything, he doesn't really hit, doesn't really fight, doesn't really intimidate, isn't very difficult to play against. Kadri (when he's on his game) is what Clarkson wishes he could be, irrittating as hell, draws penalties, makes plays, and gives out the odd big hit (as he did last night). Most nights Clarkson looks like a midget trying to puff out his chest and act tough by trash talking. Unfortunately they're stuck with him for 7 years or more likely 3 or so before he gets bought out.
Jeez ... a solid 20 would have been better then what I saw vs Carolina.
The Leafs are not that physical force they were last season. I noticed it early, but because things were going well did not worry about it.
No where near as many fights ... it looked like there was going to be more then what has happened so far.
Something happened and I think I know what it was. Early season vs Montreal, Orr and Parros go twice and we all remember what happened in the second fight and THAT is what I think took some of the 'fight' out of the Leafs, pardon the pun.
The rash of injuries did not help, especially at the center position.
To gain back that hitting, in your face, under the skin way could be as simple as Komarov.
Not that he some great hitter or best agitator, but he simply went out and did that job every game. He rarely took a shift off, much less a game.
When other guys saw him do that, getting the team powerplays and himself more ice time, it motivated the other players to do the same.
From playoffs to fired ... in that short of time ?
We are all entitled to our opinion, but I am glad you have nothing to do with Leaf management.
They led the league in fighting last year because Komarov (mostly), Kadri and Phaneuf consistently played that in your face agitating style that got under the skin of the opposition. Komaov seldom took a dumb penalty or a fight and there were many times you could see the other team got so pissed that they wanted to knock his head off. Both Phaneuf and Clarkson have now signed long term contracts so they have no reason to risk injuries with that physical style of hockey. Kadri probably has been told to watch his act since the last suspension so he's not as chippy. The other team just doesn't have anything to worry about except playing their best to beat the Leafs.
The Leafs were doing something right early on and it was more then just goaltending bale out game after game.
That is what the media says when they cannot figure it out. There is a reason they are 'media hockey guys' and not real hockey guys.
