Sorry if this was already posted, but kinds of gives some insight into the Leafs dressing room, Carlyle and how the players perceive it:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/...t_feschuk.html
Hopefully I am not quoting too much (the whole thing is a pretty good read):
Quote:
As the second half of the NHL season revs up, it’s Toronto’s head coach who is going to be expected to answer a tricky question: Specifically, is Carlyle a friend or an enemy of player development? While the Leafs have lately eked out wins thanks to some shootout sniping and the superior goaltending of Jonathan Bernier, more than a few key players — not to mention the penalty kill — have continued to under-perform under the direction of the head coach.
Kadri, the club’s 2009 first-round pick, may be the persistent target of the coaching staff’s attention, but he’s also not the only Leaf whose on-ice work has regressed this season.
Cody Franson hasn’t emerged as the force his best moments suggest he could one day become. Ditto Jake Gardiner. Nikolai Kulemin, meanwhile, continues to flaunt his gift for on-ice invisibility. Newcomer David Clarkson, a veteran who has been heard quibbling about his role, hasn’t made nearly the impact expected when he signed a seven-year deal worth about $36.75 million (U.S.) in the off-season.
And on it goes.
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Quote:
Kadri was recently asked why he so often finds himself in the coaching crosshairs.
“I think it’s because they know I can handle it. Obviously a lot of guys are different and you handle some guys different ways,” Kadri said. “A lot of times I don’t like it too much. But I’m not one to kind of shy away and just cave in. I just keep going and do what I have to do.”
Veteran Maple Leafs say the targeting of Kadri is simply a part of NHL life.
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Quote:
Still, Carlyle is less than a year removed from running centreman Mikhail Grabovski out of town at the considerable expense of a summertime buyout.
Toronto GM Dave Nonis has offered an intriguing take on the reason for that exit: “Our coaching staff wasn’t getting the most out of (Grabovski),” the GM told season-ticket holders at a season kickoff event.
Maybe that was a rare moment of blame-affixing candour. Maybe that was simply Nonis acknowledging there are horses for both courses and for coaches. But Grabovski, who called out Carlyle as an “idiot” upon his exit, hasn’t been the only vocal critic of Carlyle’s methods.
Ex-Leaf Clarke MacArthur let loose earlier this season: “Some guys are good with the criticism and some guys don’t want to hear it every single shift you come off the ice.”
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