Could the Toronto Maple Leafs fire Ron Wilson?
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has been consistent in his support of head coach Ron Wilson over the past three weeks, despite the fact that the Leafs have not registered a win since 26 October.
However, Leafs nation continues to grow more-and-more restless, as their club falls down the standings. Making matters worse for Wilson is the fact that New York Islanders head coach Scott Gordon was recently axed after his club dropped 10 games in a row.
The Leafs are currently on an eight game losing streak, and have only won one game in their last 10. The club, which was once at the top of the Eastern Conference, is now 13th with only 13 points.
The squad recently attempted to stop the bleeding by bringing up youngsters Nazem Kadri and Keith Aulie for their game against the Vancouver Canucks on 13 November. However, the club lost after Mason Raymond slotted home the game winner with only five minutes
left in the contest.
The Leafs most obvious struggles have come at the offensive end of the ice, where they are 28th in the League in goals per game. Moreover, the power play is 26th in the League, only a year after having the worst special teams in the
NHL.
The Leafs are victims of having severely overrated their own talent. Burke came into the season under the assumption that his team would be able to score goals and his two centres, Tyler Bozak and Mikhail Grabovski, were expected to carry the load. Unfortunately
for Burke, the club has a serious lack of scoring depth and first line centre Bozak has been forgettable, with only five points in 16 games.
Making matters worse is the fact that Wilson is a very offensive coach and leans towards a run-and-gun style of game, as opposed to a more defensive structure. The fault cannot be entirely placed on the shoulders of Wilson however, as he simply does not
have enough talent to work with. The Leafs line-up when compared to other play-off hopefuls simply does not match up. Nevertheless, someone is going to have to bear the brunt of the team’s struggles and the most likely candidate is Wilson.
Firing Wilson would mean that the Leafs likely have a replacement in mind. Perhaps the best and most obvious candidate to takeover is veteran coach Ken Hitchcock. Hitchcock took an underdog Columbus Blue Jackets squad to the post-season for the first time
in their history in 2008-09 on the back of a sound defensive game. The Blue Jackets were not a skilled side in 2008-09, but were able to sneak into the play-offs with a solid two-way approach. The success of Columbus in 2008-09 is similar to that of the Phoenix
Coyotes in 2009-10 when head coach Dave Tippett took an average Phoenix side and led them to the post-season with a defensive game.
The Maple Leafs must recognize that they do not have the skill up front to contend with the high-scoring sides in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs will never be able to score with the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers and
instead need to adjust their game plan. Unfortunately, this type of drastic change is only possible with a coaching switch.
Toronto is caught in the middle of a re-build with no first round draft pick in 2011. Leafs nation will be infuriated if they give up another lottery selection at the end of the 2010-11 season, making winning now that much more important. It has come time
for Burke to admit that he has overrated his team offensively and hire a defensive coach capable of turning the season around.
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