Post by CL on May 6, 2003 7:25:59 GMT -5
While the media postures and the fans pretend, the true reality of the Toronto Maple Leafs future will be decided around a long table by a bunch of people dressed in fancy suits and drinking expensive coffee. At some point in the next several days, the Board Of Directors at MLSE will decide on whether or not this team will make one more try for Lord Stanley's cup or cut their losses and start rebuilding a year early. There is no shortage of speculation about what the board will do and for all intents and purposes, no accurate idea of exactly in which direction the board is leaning. In other words, no one has any real insight into Toronto's annual navel inspection.
As preoccupied as Leaf fans are with the physical state of their hockey team, the decisions to be made at this next director's meeting will come as a bit of a surprise and a disappointment to at least one half of the great Maple Leaf horde. Whichever direction is chosen is bound to upset those fans who saw their team in a whole different light. And there is good reason for this dichotomy. The Maple Leafs still look to have a pretty good roster on paper and so with a few minor changes and perhaps one more decent free agent signing, this team could well be capable of challenging for top spot once again. On the other hand, with the current level of uncertainty and the whole rash of favourites making an early exit from the playoffs, the time is ripe for a veteran team like the Leafs to start dealing away most of their servicable old timers for youngsters, picks and prospects.
In all likelihood, there are three opposing camps to consider with two distinct perspectives promoting the same idea of continuing the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Pat Quinn will certainly make his representations with an eye on keeping both the head coach and general manager positions or at the minimum having the right to put in a hand picked candidate in one of those jobs. Ken Dryden, not quite the lost sheep many once considered him to be, will no doubt counter any Quinn suggestions with the promise of a Stanley Cup winning general manager in Bob Gainey, along with the possibility of Pat Quinn as coach or the potential of a new but experienced hand in that capacity. And there is a third faction of members on the board who will suggest that with the coming labour troubles, the Leafs should look at scrapping the current roster and rebiulding the organization from the ground up. This could possibly be a wise hockey move but the truth is that it is entirely based on the economics of the issue.
For players like Gary Roberts or Doug Gilmour, the decision is critical because they are nearing the end of their careers and a shot at another cup ranks high on their list of priorities. Neither has much to look forward to in terms of the future unless it is with a competitive team and for their families sake, that team needs to be located in Toronto. Someone like Eddie Belfour however, does not have those same conditions and although he too is getting near the end, with only a wife to consider, he could pursue his desire for a cup in any number of contending cities. And for captain Mats Sundin, Toronto holds a special bond but he is still such a potentially dominant forward that he has tremendous value on the trade market. Along with a few other players, the Leafs could do well in any attempt to reshape and restock their organization if they were to give up all ideas of winning a championship any time soon. Of course, such a decision would make Pat Quinn's deadline deals look absolutely foolish.
Now, there is also a chance that under new management, the Leafs could retool for a run at the cup and restock their organization at the same time. The risk here is that a bilateral philosophy will weaken both activities and leave the team somewhere in the middle of mediocrity. However, there is great risk following any of the courses that have been suggested so far. If Pat Quinn is given one more chance he may well leave this club so destitute in terms of assets, Leaf fans may not see a serious challenge in the playoffs for another thirty years. Ken Dryden's desire to have a Bob Gainey run team has a history of success behind it but it must also be mentioned that that success also came at the cost of a very rich man's money and as it has turned out, it was but a one shot deal.
This will not be a pleasant meeting and the Board Of Directors have no easy decisions ahead of them in regards to this hockey team. Compromise may well be the primary rule of good leadership but the question still remains as to what is the best compromise to be made under the circumstances. The directors are not simply formulating a typical business strategy, they are quite possibly deciding on the fate of this franchise and the ultimate viability of the entire league. There can be no shortage of courage displayed here. A weak hand offered after the debacle of this team last season will do nothing more but incite ridicule and retribution. Of all the questions to be decided there is but one correct answer and of all the answers to be considered, there are no easy choices to be made. Oh to be a fly upon the wall ...
As preoccupied as Leaf fans are with the physical state of their hockey team, the decisions to be made at this next director's meeting will come as a bit of a surprise and a disappointment to at least one half of the great Maple Leaf horde. Whichever direction is chosen is bound to upset those fans who saw their team in a whole different light. And there is good reason for this dichotomy. The Maple Leafs still look to have a pretty good roster on paper and so with a few minor changes and perhaps one more decent free agent signing, this team could well be capable of challenging for top spot once again. On the other hand, with the current level of uncertainty and the whole rash of favourites making an early exit from the playoffs, the time is ripe for a veteran team like the Leafs to start dealing away most of their servicable old timers for youngsters, picks and prospects.
In all likelihood, there are three opposing camps to consider with two distinct perspectives promoting the same idea of continuing the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Pat Quinn will certainly make his representations with an eye on keeping both the head coach and general manager positions or at the minimum having the right to put in a hand picked candidate in one of those jobs. Ken Dryden, not quite the lost sheep many once considered him to be, will no doubt counter any Quinn suggestions with the promise of a Stanley Cup winning general manager in Bob Gainey, along with the possibility of Pat Quinn as coach or the potential of a new but experienced hand in that capacity. And there is a third faction of members on the board who will suggest that with the coming labour troubles, the Leafs should look at scrapping the current roster and rebiulding the organization from the ground up. This could possibly be a wise hockey move but the truth is that it is entirely based on the economics of the issue.
For players like Gary Roberts or Doug Gilmour, the decision is critical because they are nearing the end of their careers and a shot at another cup ranks high on their list of priorities. Neither has much to look forward to in terms of the future unless it is with a competitive team and for their families sake, that team needs to be located in Toronto. Someone like Eddie Belfour however, does not have those same conditions and although he too is getting near the end, with only a wife to consider, he could pursue his desire for a cup in any number of contending cities. And for captain Mats Sundin, Toronto holds a special bond but he is still such a potentially dominant forward that he has tremendous value on the trade market. Along with a few other players, the Leafs could do well in any attempt to reshape and restock their organization if they were to give up all ideas of winning a championship any time soon. Of course, such a decision would make Pat Quinn's deadline deals look absolutely foolish.
Now, there is also a chance that under new management, the Leafs could retool for a run at the cup and restock their organization at the same time. The risk here is that a bilateral philosophy will weaken both activities and leave the team somewhere in the middle of mediocrity. However, there is great risk following any of the courses that have been suggested so far. If Pat Quinn is given one more chance he may well leave this club so destitute in terms of assets, Leaf fans may not see a serious challenge in the playoffs for another thirty years. Ken Dryden's desire to have a Bob Gainey run team has a history of success behind it but it must also be mentioned that that success also came at the cost of a very rich man's money and as it has turned out, it was but a one shot deal.
This will not be a pleasant meeting and the Board Of Directors have no easy decisions ahead of them in regards to this hockey team. Compromise may well be the primary rule of good leadership but the question still remains as to what is the best compromise to be made under the circumstances. The directors are not simply formulating a typical business strategy, they are quite possibly deciding on the fate of this franchise and the ultimate viability of the entire league. There can be no shortage of courage displayed here. A weak hand offered after the debacle of this team last season will do nothing more but incite ridicule and retribution. Of all the questions to be decided there is but one correct answer and of all the answers to be considered, there are no easy choices to be made. Oh to be a fly upon the wall ...
