Randy Carlyle has been fired..and What does Oaks think about that?

Randy Carlyle is no longer the Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs…

You might expect me to jump for joy, because when I actively engaged in conversation about the Leafs on social media,

I tended to use #FireNonis & #FireCarlyle a lot.

I have blamed Randy Carlyle for many things during his tenure as the Coach of the Iconic Toronto Maple Leafs.

Right or wrong, the coach, & eventually the GM will always take the fall for failure to perform in the sporting world.

I wrote a blog earlier this offseason https://bluescotian.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/too-hot-for-twitter/ regarding how the Leafs have fared since Burke was fired.

If you didn’t read that. READ it. It explains why Randy, although the coach, should not shoulder 100% of the failure of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dave Nonis, said this “Inconsistency ended Randy Carlyle’s tenure as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs”

Dave Nonis, is easily the worst General Manager the Leafs have ever had in my life.

Keeping in mind, I’ve been around since the 70’s

Randy Carlyle was fired, as many Leafs fans know after the Maple Leafs lost five of seven games on their last road trip.

This season the Leafs are 21-16-3 record this season & hold one of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Dave Nonis should stop talking, he’s an idiot…Dave Nonis also had this to say,

“I think we’d all agree we’ve had some good periods, good stretches, but I don’t think I can stand here in front of you and say that we’ve been consistent.”

“We just felt at this point this was the right time to make the change and move ahead and try to get this team back playing like we have played for periods this season.”

It’s been reported that Assistants Peter Horachek and Steve Spott will handle coaching duties for Wednesday night’s home game against the Washington Capitals.

Peter Horachek ran the first practice of the post-Carlyle era.

Dave Nonis did not indicate if or when the Leafs might hire a full-time head coach and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why…

Dave Nonis will have ZERO authority to make the next coaching hire. It will be Shanahan, with the Approval of MLSE who hires the next coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The problem that I have with Horacheck & Spott handling coaching duties is obvious. The defence & offence are still horrid.

Is that because of the players Nonis brought in? Or is it because of Carlyle not listening to Horacheck & Spott if either suggested something outside Carlyle’s thinking…

Ot is it a combination of all 3?

According to Dave Nonis, no timeline has been established for a new hire.

Read between the lines, if Shanahan thinks Babcock would consider coming here…we’ll likely have Horachek running the team till the end of the season.

Dreger adds that all Leaf players are now potential trade targets as the team moves forward.

Well, what a novel thought…I’ve only been advocating trading any single player on the Leafs my entire life. You trade anyone and everyone, if it makes the team better.

It frustrates me that Brendan Shanahan has barely spoken a word publicly on the Toronto Maple Leafs since he was hired.

When ever the muppet Nonis opens his mouth, I wonder how much of it is his words, or your words.

I’m still waiting for Shanahan to win me over.

Firing Carlyle, not good enough, Dave Nonis saying it was a joint decision between himself And Shanahan…go drink some more MLSE KoolAid

Shanahan..how about you actually grow a pair..and prove you want to bring the Cup to Toronto.

Randy Carlyle did coach over 700 games and he did win a Stanley Cup. Not every coach can claim that distinction.

As coach of the Maple Leafs, Carlyle went 91-78-19 in 188 games as Leafs coach over parts of four seasons.

Factor in those shootout losses or OT losses..he lost 97 games as a coach here and won 91.

Dave Nonis mentioned that it was the right decision to give Carlyle a contract extension, yet all of his assistants were fired.

I knew the day would come when Randy Carlyle would be fired. He’s earned the right to be fired.

His line combinations, his obsession with using Tyler Bozak who is ideally suited to being a #2 or #3 Center as the #1 Center..even though every SINGLE analytic out there showed that Nazem Kadri produced better numbers.

His belief that the key to fixing the Leafs after the disaster against the Bruins was to go get ANOTHER Goalie…

What happened with that?

Dave Nonis went & traded Scrivens (a backup) & Matt Frattin to the LA Kings, who were more than happy to dump Bernier…because they knew Quick was better, and Martin Jones has a higher ceiling than Bernier.

LA quickly traded Frattin and Scrivens…showing people, they just wanted Bernier gone..ask Dean Lombardi about Bernier…he was thrilled to get rid of him.

After the epic meltdown in Boston, Phaneuf should have been shipped out, not rewarded with a monster contract, the Leafs should have made REAL attempts to get a REAL #1 D & a REAL #1 Center..

BUT, as history showed us, Nonis is an assclown who should have been fired long long long long before Carlyle.

I could easily place all the blame on Carlyle…as many of the dysfunctional fans in Leafsnation will…

BUT, the reality is this..

I give Dave Nonis 1/3 of the blame. He brought in bloated pieces of crap like Robidas, overpaid Phaneuf, Lupul, Bozak, overpaid BIG time for Komarov (who I like, just not at 4 years, 4 million per) grossly overpaid for 3rd line David Clarkson, overpaid for an average goalie in Bernier. AND THEN Brought Matt Frattin back….WHY?

I give Randy Carlyle 1/3 of the blame for this like I mentioned earlier, line combos, Bozak over Kadri etc…

The preferential treatment that Bernier gets over Reimer.

Don’t even argue this point, I can give enough examples..

Move along.

I also blame the players, they get 1/3 of the blame as well.

Every single member of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs gets paid more money than most will see, ever, in a single season.

As a pro athlete..you have one thing you’re supposed to do when you play the sport you are a member of…that job is to play to the highest level of your abilities.

Every single game, you can see the same players over and over who are not committed to winning.

I’m not going to single out Mr. Floater..Mr.Cherry Picker, Mr. I’ll never be a complete 2 way player, AKA Tyler Slowzak..or talk about one dimensional Kessel (can you imagine of Kessel actually used his speed, to be a 2 way forward)

I won ‘t even talk about Mr. Brittle AKA Mr Porn Star, you know, the guy that so many “female fans” say is so dreamy… (pukes) Joffrey Lupul

Lupul should have been dealt after the Boston series, that was likely his highest trade value in ages, if we get a pick for him, I’d be thrilled.

The bottom line is there are far too many players on the team that are consistently invisible, soft, disinterested and generally a liability.

The core of this team is JVR, (talented, but refuses to use his size properly, invisible more often than not)

Kessel, speedy, point producer…ZERO attempts to develop a 2 way game, which is why when he’s not scoring, he’s a massive liability on the ice.

Phaneuf. Overpaid. Plays way too many minutes. He’s never had the right partner since he came to Toronto.

Bozak…I’m not going there again.

Lupul..brittle..do I need to repeat myself…

I want to include Franson, Gardiner & Reimer as being core members of the team, but I can’t because..

Reimer’s been screwed here since Game 7, he’ll be moved soon

Franson has been screwed in 3 straight contracts from MLSE. ( I hope he stays, but he’s UFA at seasons end..expect him to be dealt sooner than later.

AND Gardiner, with his speed & hands should have played his natural postion, which was NOT defence..it was on the Wing…

If you take the core as being Lupul, Bozak, Kessel, JVR, Phaneuf, Gards, Franson & Reimer…

Newflash**** that core will NEVER be good enough to win a cup, let alone win a division.

Therefore, Randy Carlyle, is the goat, but the truth of the matter is..the players & Nonis do NOT get a free pass from me.

We have serious cap issues, because of Nonis, Bernier & Kadri will soon be RFA and BOTH are going to want to GET PAID…

Players will be moved, no doubt about it.

I hope whomever the new coach is, they do things their way, it’s obvious, the Ron Wilson & Randy Carlyle way of doing things, it doesn’t work.

Amazing the Leafs have fired Greg Cronin, Dave Poulin, Claude Loiselle, Francois Allaire, Dave Farrish, Ron Wilson, Randy Carlyle, Brian Burke in the last 5 years , am I missing anyone else?

YET….somehow Dave Nonis keeps his job..

WHY????

Even if I ignored EVERY single thing that has happened during the tenure of the Maple Leafs…

I could give you a perfect reason to FIRE Randy Carlyle…

Here it is…

The Maple Leafs are leading 4-1 –11 minutes left to go in Game 7…

Boston scores..No timeout called…

Boston scores again… No timeout called..

Boston SCORES again to tie the game.. No timeout…

History shows us that a playoff experienced team will usually always beat a team with little to no playoff experience.

Who’s to say that calling a timeout after the 2nd or 3rd, or EVEN the 4th goal would have made a difference.

However, if you’re a coach…you do have timeouts…USE THEM

The next Coach & GM, whether it’s Gilmour, Messier, Gretzky, Todd Gill, Noel, Peter Deboer, Eakins, Spott, John Tortorella, Mike Keenan, Peter Horacheck, Mark Hunter, Dale Hunter (likely no chance he leaves London) Mike Babcock, Dan Bylsma, Guy Boucher OR someone else will still have the same issues that Randy did.

They will inherit a spoiled, overpaid, underwhelming bunch of miscreants…and that NEW coach and/or GM will have a short stay here as well…

THE only way the new coach, and eventually GM will have any chance, is to blow this team apart…AGAIN *sighs*

AND as a lifelong fan of the Maple Leafs, more losing, and not making the playoffs, this makes me sad.

As I said, at the beginning of this blog, you think I’d be dancing, but I’m not…because Carlyle did deserve to be fired (Guaranteed Contract, still getting paid)

But, MLSE dropped the ball by NOT firing the Architect of this BRUTAL train wreck, 18 wheeler driving off the cliff…Mr. Dave Nonis.

I know who I’d like to see be the new coach, and also the new GM…but… I don’t run MLSE

There was a time, when putting on the Maple Leaf jersey meant something, it meant you played above your abilities, just ask Clark, Gilmour, Roberts, what it meant..course those guys didn’t take nights off…and they all made less than Nozak does per year… 😐

Randy Carlyle has been fired…

BUT, from this fan to other fans,

It’s not enough.