Some things the Leafs have to decide
Soon: Keep Gardiner, and play him, or trade him ?
Soon: fire Carlyle ? see above
This year: fire Nonis? see below
This summer: buyout Phanuef's contract? this summer? or summer 2016?
-Gardiner will be playing in his 2nd consecutive game tonight. Stewart Percy got the invitation to watch the game from the press box again.
-My guess is that management has made up its mind about Carlyle long ago. He's only there to buy time until Mike Babcock's current contract expires at the end of the season. The writing has been on the wall since Shanahan's arrival & only a deep playoffs run will save his job.
-Nonis will be there at least until the end of the current season. Would Shanahan have anyone in mind to replace him? Hey, how about Rob Babcock? I've heard rumbles that he may be tired of coaching & may want to look at something else. Unless he gets his wish & become the highest paid coach in the NHL, that is....which is unlikely to happen if he stays in Detroit.
-Buyout Phaneuf's contract? Are you kidding me? The current contract is in year 1 of a 7-year contract at a cap hit of $7 million. Counter this with P.K. Subban's contract of $9 million per season for the next 8 years. In a few years, Phaneuf's contract will look reasonable. On top of that, he's still BY FAR Toronto's best defenceman. He logs in the most minutes, always plays against the opponent's top line, is on the 1st PP and PK units and rarely misses any games. And he's been the captain for several years. You can't buy out players with such contracts or else it's organizational financial suicide. And again, who'd replace Phaneuf if he's gone? Morgan Rieilly? Cody Franson? lol
Here's what i'd do if i were the Leafs GM:
1) Try to trade Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri & Joffrey Lupul. Gardiner is basically P.K. Subban without the booming shot. He's careless & too much of a defensive liability to be relied upon. Great skater & passer, but not much between the ears. The Leafs would be able to get a good player back were they to decide to trade him.
2) Nazem Kadri has never fullfilled his potential. He's been very inconsistent. It seems that they haven't been able to find a player who's able to play next to him. Lupul has regressed since being removed from Bozak's line & inserted in the spot next to Kadri. I'm also not sure about his attitude. He also could bring the Leafs a decent return were he to be traded.
3) The time to trade Joffrey Lupul is now. He hasn't been very good since playing next to Kadri, and he isn't getting any younger. Unfortunately for him, he's been injury-prone for most of his career. His value will never be higher so it's time to trade him now since he's currently healthy.
4) The two Staal brothers are rumoured to be available in Carolina. Now is the time to go & trade for them. The three players i mentionned could be used as bait. If you can't get Jordan Staal, then just getting Erik Staal would be good enough for me.
5) I'd keep my eyes on the current struggling franchises who are likely to tank the season in order to be able to draft future superstar Connor McDavid. These franchises would likely gladly trade their highly-paid star players for youngsters. Among the teams i'd be looking at are Buffalo, Florida, Carolina, Winnipeg & Edmonton. Edmonton may be interested in a package of Toronto defencemen such as Jake Gardiner & Korbinian Holzer. RNH or Yakupov could be the players heading back Toronto's way if a trade was made.
6) Remain patient with Carlyle. It won't cost the organization much if he's fired after the regular season. But only fire him if Detroit still hasn't managed to sign Mike Babcock, who wants to be the highest paid coach in the NHL. Detroit doesn't have the money to pay him that much, and few teams in the NHL do or are willing to do so. Currently, Joel Quenneville is the highest paid coach. I doubt blame Babcock for wanting to be paid as much as Quenneville, since Babcock is highly regarded as a coach & many believe he's the best in the world. He's also Canada's first choice to coach their national teams during international play (such as at the Olympics). He's paid his dues as a coach & it's time for him to be rewarded. The Leafs are one of few teams able to give him what he wants.
7) I'd keep James Reimer on the trade market. Several teams have already lost their goalies to injury & it'll continue. Since Reimer has renewed his contract, there could be more demand for him. He could be a #1 goalie on many teams & he'll welcome a trade in order to play more. Once traded, i'd then sign Martin Brodeur for a year or two. He and fellow Quebecer Jonathan Bernier would make a pretty good goalie tandem.
8) It's time to do something about that ineffective 4th line. They are barely used & are not the typical fourth liners. Bringing up the likes of Troy Bodie, Colton Orr, Trevor Smith & Frazer McLaren would add energy & a new look to that ineffective 4th line which barely plays right now. I'd also ask my coach to get Daniel Winnik off that 2nd line. Either insert David Clarkson in his spot or call up Josh Leivo. Winnik is not a 2nd liner and was picked up to play either on the 3rd or 4th line.