2014 / 2015 Official NHL Thread

[SloCumHeat]

Their Corsi has been improving lately and like i said it would take time to adjust with all the new faces and all the departures as well. What is sort of good news if history repeats itself is the Leafs usually play pretty good on the road and seem to be and play more loose and relaxed. (in the good sense)

Really? Where are you getting your stats?

Their CORSI are not improving according to Puck on Net (http://www.puckon.net/?s=2014-10-01&e=2014-12-31&f=1&ld=1&l=82.

This year, they are bottom 5 teams (~46 for "score adjusted"). Month of October was better than December.

 

[lgna69xxx]

It is a small sample size but was talking individual periods here and there in the last few games, (some periods being much better, some not so much lol) Corsi is so overrated as are a lot of advanced stats, especially in hockey. No advanced stats take into account injuries that players are "playing" thru.

 

[lgna69xxx]

It looks like the Leafs are getting closer to having Mike Babcock as their coach next season Carlyle fired this morning.

GLG!

 

[Ballsamic]

It looks like the Leafs are getting closer to having Mike Babcock as their coach next season Carlyle fired this morning.

GLG!

If Babcock were the coach of the leafs today, he would have been fired today as Carlyle was fired.

Babcock will sign with the Wings.

The leafs changed the coaching staff at the start of the season for this eventuality.

Welcome your new coach of the future........Steve Stoll

Good luck, you will need it, Mr. Stoll:lol:

 

[lgna69xxx]

Possibly but time will tell. Shanny and Babcock have a good history together and Detroit is not Far from TO and Toronto can outbid anyone if it takes that.

Babcock will sign with the Wings.

 

[Doc Holliday]

It looks like the Leafs are getting closer to having Mike Babcock as their coach next season Carlyle fired this morning.

GLG!

As i've been saying all along.....

There's a reason why Babcock hasn't re-signed with Detroit and that's because he wants to be the highest paid coach in the NHL, which won't happen in economically-depressed Detroit, one of the worse places to live in North America. Coaching a prestigious, legendary team such as the Toronto Maple Leafs is what is missing on Babcock's considerable resume.

Want to know the real reason why Carlyle was fired now? It's because Shanny had been hearing rumours that Detroit was about to submit a new offer to Babcock, who so far has stuck to his guns. By firing Carlyle now, the Leafs are indirectly reminding Babcock that the job is his if he wants it once his current contract expires. So he better keep on sticking to his guns & keep on showing patience as he finishes off his coaching stint with Detroit.

No doubt Babcock's family would welcome a move out of Detroit with open arms. Toronto is one of the top cities in North America. It's beautiful, clean and the fan base is one of the best and most loyal on the planet. Bringing Babcock to Toronto is part of MLSE's plan to add 'panache' to its franchises. The Raptors have turned the corner, so now it's time to turn their attention towards making the Maple Leafs a contender, and this starts with hiring one of the top coaches in the game, if not the best.

Mr. Babcock, Leafs Nation is awaiting your arrival, sir! :thumb:

 

[november]

Lack of consistency and a team trending downward is what cost the coach his job. Is this the beginning of another eighteen wheeler going off a cliff? I miss Brian Burke he had the best quotes.

 

[wolfie7]

Why would Babs leave the stability of a model franchise for the cluster* that is Toronto? Just because Shanny is there doesn't cure jack. Toronto's been a mess for two decades - not since the days when Dougie Gilmore and Wendel Clark roamed the ice have the Leafs even been relevant. The CuJo years were interesting, but only that. Just like the Knicks in the NBA. So what if it's the biggest market? Hockey personalities, especially, are not exactly known as party animals and attention whores who seek out the coverage such large markets afford. Minus Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, I have a hard time coming up other hockey players and coaches who are out on the town on a frequent basis.

Low-key; humble; likes to live in the suburbs; enjoys loyal, loving, but not suffocating fans - for such hockey people, metro Detroit is perfectly fine. The Wings will pay the money, because the Ilitches have always been best-in-class owners. Babcock would be nuts to want to move to Toronto.

And I hate to contradict Doc, but the Detroit Red Wings are a pretty damn prestigious and legendary Original 6 team, too.

 

[november]

Wolfe, Babcock would consider Toronto for the challenge and the money. Say what you want about Toronto it is a nice place to live.

 

[wolfie7]

I think Toronto is an awesome place to live. Minus the Canadian taxes (!!!). =)

I have no beef with the city of Toronto, though I admit I like Montreal much better as a city, in Canada. I'm just saying metro Detroit is not hell on earth. And hockey players find metro Detroit quite agreeable, especially the players the Wings pick up, minus that shithead Sean Avery. You can always go elsewhere during the offseason, and most do. I'll go back a little bit on my previous statement though - I've lived in New York, LA and Miami, and I wouldn't want to raise a family in any of those cities. If Toronto is anything like New York...

I can agree with you on the challenge. It would be a HUGE challenge for Babcock to right that ship. Carlyle and Wilson weren't completely clueless coaches - the train wrecks weren't all their faults. It would be a struggle for Babcock, because the rest of that organization is still cancerous. (BTW, you're never going to win anything with Phil Kessel, cherry picker extraordinaire. There's a reason players like him and Samsonov never lasted in Boston.)

Finally, the Ilitches will pay the money. It's only been a few years, but remember, when there was no salary cap, the Wings were the biggest spenders in the NHL, fielding Hall of Fame teams, where Robitaille, Hull, and Larionov were playing on the frickin' 4th line! Remember those good ole' days? (Yeah, when the Leafs could overspend, and still not have a good team!) Only the salary cap is throttling that spending capacity from the Wings today. The Ilitches are the right kinds of sports franchise owners - they're willing to spend the money to win, they don't overcharge their fans, they show loyalty to their employees (Draper, Kocur, more recently the Cleary contract). They'll spend the money to keep Babcock. The only pitfall is Holland getting over his own ego.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wolfe, Babcock would consider Toronto for the challenge and the money. Say what you want about Toronto it is a nice place to live.

I agree. Plus the fact he'd rise to instant legend status if he'd take the Leafs to the Stanley Cup finals. Yes, simply to the Stanley Cup finals would lead to him achieving that status.

Add to this the prestige of being the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, only one of two NHL franchises that hold that status (the Montreal Canadiens being the other). It'd be like someone getting the opportunity to be the manager of either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees in MLB, or the LA Lakers in the NBA.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I think Toronto is an awesome place to live. Minus the Canadian taxes (!!!). =)

I agree that Toronto is one of several Canadian cities where the cost of living is extremely high. However, a millionaire like Mike Babcock would have no trouble adjusting to the high cost of living in that great city. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd purchase or rent a condo in the same building housing Hotel Le Germain next to the ACC.

As for living in the Detroit area, whether he enjoys living there or not is not up to me. However, MIKE BABCOCK WANTS TO BE THE HIGHEST PAID COACH IN THE NHL and he's already been told by his bosses that Detroit cannot afford to have the league's highest paid coach.

Babcock has a rare window of opportunity at the end of the season where he'll be a free agent & free to sign with any team that comes calling and makes him the highest paid coach, an honor currently being held by Joel Quenneville of the Blackhawks.

 

[marc7]

DeBoer will be the next coach for the Leafs ! That's it ! Babcock wants to be the highest paid coach and it's normal for the track record that he has . The RW GM doesn't to pay ... Normal negotiations between two party's ! Detroit is broke yes but look arround the suburbs are filthy rich so their IS money arround to pay for . Does Babcock wants to reconstruct the Leafs or have stupid as his GM ??? I don't think so !

 

[lgna69xxx]

Boom! You hit the nail directly on the head right there.

Babcock has won Oympic Gold(s), a Stanley Cup, a Wolrd Jr Championship and w/o having his resume in front of me, likely many other championships and or awards. What would winning in Toronto do for his legacy? Simple, It would take it to the Pinnacle of his career. Just like in boston how after 86 years they finally won a world series and those players and manager will be forever considered hero's and for most that win will be the pinnacle of their careers bar none.

The money could also be a deciding factor and nobody can or will out bid MLSE "If" they decide they really want him and huge $ is a big part of what he wants. I still will believe it when i see it because Don Cherry is usually right and he says Babcock will re sign in Detroit. I hope for once he is wrong.

Wolfe, Babcock would consider Toronto for the challenge and the money. Say what you want about Toronto it is a nice place to live.

 

[Octavian]

Hey SCH,

Glad you are not the GM of the Leafs :lol:

As i stated after the summer, it was going to take 20 or so games to see how all the new summer additions would pan out and at about that 20th game is when things started to gel and the boys have been playing pretty darn good hockey these last 10/11 games (9-1-1)

*Carlyle and the coaching staff are getting the guys on the team to buy into what they are selling

*Nonis like any GM has to take risks at times and there are many GM's who sit on what they got and do not take risks and i for one am glad we have a GM who at least try's to improve the team by doing so and so far it looks like ALL of his offseason moves have helped so far and some in huge ways. Santorelli/Panik/Komorov have been huge and Robidas is finally starting to perform the way they hoped when he was signed.

*Phaneuf is our best Overall Defenseman and anyone who thinks he is not in the top 20 dmen in the league needs to shake their heads. Captain Canada is a very good player and leader and is having his best season in years.

*Franson, i must admit (as i did to Doc the other night) has made me eat my words (so far) and he is becoming a very good player. The way he is going tho, he is gonna be due a huge raise this offseason so what to do? Bernier/Kadri/Franson are all on pace to get significant raises so one might be the odd man out and be traded unless cap room can be cleared (A Gardiner trade perhaps) and Bernier aint going anywhere that's for sure.

The Leafs have lots of character and depth for once and that combimed with skill, maturity, leadership (especially with some of the new guys) and good coaching. Character and Maturity can help greatly through a long season. Time will tell if this is a mirage or the real deal this time. I loved the moves made over the summer and right now they are looking very good. Now watch the Ducks (the best team in the NHL as we speak) kill us tomorrow night :lol: but even if that happens, it is how the boys respond after a big butt whooping, the following game. They Shook off the Nashville 9-2 drubbing and went on to play their best hockey of the season so far.

GO LEAFS GO!

Maybe you should be their GM.....

 

[lgna69xxx]

I would gladly join Team Shanny! He would fire me in a week tho, my office would be a mess as I am not very good at "organizing" things.

Maybe you should be their GM.....

 

[gohabsgo]

Coaching a prestigious, legendary team such as the Toronto Maple Leafs

If your definition of prestigious and legendary is not having so much as a sniff of the Stanley Cup finals in 50 years or not a single playoff round won in 10 years , yeah :lol:

As for Babcock in Toronto, it will never happen - book it.

 

[joelcairo]

It looks like the Leafs are getting closer to having Mike Babcock as their coach next season Carlyle fired this morning.

GLG!

Why are you smiling? I'm curious, because in the past you made many posts making fun of Doctor Babcock and you made numerous posts in praise of Randy. I remember one in particular where you proudly stated that Randy was worth 5 or 10 extra points to the Leafs each season purely because of his brilliant coaching.

 

[joelcairo]

Want to know the real reason why Carlyle was fired now? It's because Shanny had been hearing rumours that Detroit was about to submit a new offer to Babcock, who so far has stuck to his guns. By firing Carlyle now, the Leafs are indirectly reminding Babcock that the job is his if he wants it once his current contract expires.

No, the real reason is that Carlyle publicly criticized upper Leaf management (i.e.: Shanny and Nonis) in a widely-aired interview following the recent blowout of the Leafs by Winnipeg. This was the icing on the cake after their dismal road trip and their usual habit of being inconsistent and badly outshot. Shanny (the person who made the decision, although he left it to Nonis to be the front man) could see - as could all hockey observers - that nothing has changed. It's been clear for a long time that Randy would be axed at some point and Randy was wise enough to expedite the situation by pointing out the failures of his superiors to the media. In ANY line of work that will get you canned pretty promptly.

 

[joelcairo]

Wolfie720 you should post more often in the hockey threads. Your two posts above are spot on:thumb: