“Just blow it up.”
That has been the refrain of Toronto Maple Leafs fans for this lost debacle of a season. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment appears to agree with its loyal patrons and it has granted team president Brendan Shanahan the full authority to rebuild a roster that is ill-suited for success in today’s era of shutdown hockey and defensive structure.
But while Shanahan may now have the nuclear option in hand, blowing up the Leafs will not be an automatic process or all that easy. The salary cap, coupled with the falling Canadian Dollar, will make Shanahan’s task one that rivals splitting the atom. The salary cap has not even been set for 2015-16 due to the currency issue, which will play a major factor in potential deals or the prevention of them. Shanahan faces a reality that Toronto sports talk radio rants do not fully take into account.
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Good Players but Bad Fits
Toronto is in 14th place in the 16 team Eastern Conference standings but has good talent on the roster. The problem is that the roster was so poorly constructed with too many of the same parts that do not complement each other. Further, in a league that is self-described as a, “three-two shutdown league,” the offensive oriented Leafs have proven to be completely ill-suited for success.
General Manager Dave Nonis has the wrong players leading in number one roles that are ill-suited for them. If the Leafs were a movie, they would be labeled as having good supporting actors miscast in lead roles and, just as important, with lead role salaries.
Dead Man Walking
A big part of the blame rests with current general manager Dave Nonis. Nonis is best known for being previous general manager Brian Burke’s personal valet and has proven in over his head when trying to build a strong playoff contending team. Nonis not only failed to address the Leafs lack of defensive depth but has made moves that have proven to be as asinine as they are disastrous. Nonis may have three years left on his contract but it is likely he’ll be bounced as part of Shanahan’s nuclear option. Nonis has arguably been the most incompetent GM in the NHL during his Leafs tenure.
Phagoof
Nonis is the real man of genius that decided to sign miscast captain and number one defenseman Dion Phaneuf to a seven year contract extension at $8 million per season. Not only is Phaneuf not an actual number one defenseman, he is also not a credible captain as proven by the Leafs loafing ways.
Phaneuf was not at all dominant when Nonis gave him the extension and will be hard to move to another team because of that $8 million price tag and its relation to the salary cap. The Leafs will no doubt have to eat part of Phaneuf’s salary if they can even move him. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks would be top potential suitors. Phaneuf would be better suited as a number three or four defenseman in a market that is not as crazed and obsessed as Toronto.
The Thrill is Gone
Nonis gave Toronto finisher Phil “The Thrill” Kessel an absurd eight-year contract extension worth $64 million. After a 37-goal, 80-point season in the first year of the deal, Kessel has fallen off in production and effort ever since. Kessel showed up to training camp last fall fat and out of shape and has routinely loafed badly on the back check.
Interim head coach Peter Horachek demoted Kessel to the fourth line and cut down on his ice time while making cutting remarks about Kessel’s “give a s—” meter. Kessel would be best suited on a team with existing structure and leadership where he can be freed to concentrate on lighting the lamp while leaving the heavy lifting to others. Kessel has a home in South Florida where the Florida Panthers are in desperate need of a finishing scorer. The Nashville Predators would also be interested and have cap space.
Uptight Clarkson Doomed from Start
Nonis signed David Clarkson for seven years at $36 million after he became a top scorer with the New Jersey Devils. Clarkson returned to his home town and immediately flopped starting with a suspension due to coming off the bench to the defense of Kessel in an exhibition game. It has been downhill ever since as Clarkson has scored 15 goals in 115 games for Toronto and has been a healthy scratch under Horachek.
Clarkson should be thankful for his one 30-goal season in 2011-12 as that made him a wealthy, though grossly overpaid liability. It is impossible to fathom the Leafs being able to move Clarkson and his salary to anyone in the NHL. Clarkson’s facial expressions during games are that of a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders in shame.
Additional Handcuffs
Not only does Nonis have overpriced commodities that will be difficult to move, but injuries to Joffrey Lupol and Cody Franson further complicate matters. The Leafs will not be able to make hockey trades. They will instead be making salary dumps. Nonis has too much salary and not nearly enough talent to move.
Gross Mismanagement beyond Nonis
The stunning incompetence of Nonis has done much to destroy whatever chance the Leafs had to remain a top contender. But the problems go far beyond Nonis. The Leafs have been mismanaged for decades going back to the days of former owner Harold Ballard in the 1980’s. Shanahan was hired last summer to fix the franchise and has been slow and methodical so far. That should change soon. Now the question is if the Leafs can indeed dump their high priced stiffs and if their dream leader, Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, will arrive on a white horse over the summer to save the franchise.
