Randy Carlyle fired

[UKflames]

Please choose Tortorella, it would be awesome

[Otto-matic]

Think Artley' would troll torts again if he got the gig in Toronto? I'd be all over that leafs game in March.

[Badgers Nose]

I'm in TO this week and Naylor had Waters on his show yesterday gossiping about Carlyle and Kessel.

They wanted to move Kessel to LW and he declined. Basically making Carlyle a lame duck. Kessel also declined when Shanahan asked. What does that make Shanahan?

Consensus was, what can you do? Kessel is on a long long expensive contract with NMC.

Sounds like the fans and probably the Leafs, despite what Dreger says, are desperately hoping/trying to move Kessel and Dion. They have a culture of accountability trying to take hold, but the expensive guys are in the way.

They seemed to think changes were coming in summer (coach, GM, then players), but Shanahan travelling with the team to the Peg and the Kessel thing plus what happened today, makes it sound like that schedule might have just been fast tracked.

I think they will go interim coach, fire GM, hire GM, let GM pick coach. Don't know how long it will take.

That's all the Leaf stuff I can stomach.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by sevenarms

The Oilers currently have a bunch of qualified coaches that will hang up laughing.

When did that happen?

[Resolute 14]

The Jets game was the most dramatic demonstration of why Carlyle was fired. The Leafs have consistently been out shot, out chanced and out everythinged while he was coach.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

So the Oilers currently have a bunch of qualified coaches to choose from:

Dan Bylsma
Randy Carlyle
Paul MacLean
Pete DeBoer
John Tortorella (lol)

Watch, they'll probably make Todd Nelson the permanent head coach.

Doug MacLean would be more their style!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

I'm in TO this week and Naylor had Waters on his show yesterday gossiping about Carlyle and Kessel.

They wanted to move Kessel to LW and he declined. Basically making Carlyle a lame duck. Kessel also declined when Shanahan asked. What does that make Shanahan?

Consensus was, what can you do? Kessel is on a long long expensive contract with NMC.

Sounds like the fans and probably the Leafs, despite what Dreger says, are desperately hoping/trying to move Kessel and Dion. They have a culture of accountability trying to take hold, but the expensive guys are in the way.

They seemed to think changes were coming in summer (coach, GM, then players), but Shanahan travelling with the team to the Peg and the Kessel thing plus what happened today, makes it sound like that schedule might have just been fast tracked.

I think they will go interim coach, fire GM, hire GM, let GM pick coach. Don't know how long it will take.

That's all the Leaf stuff I can stomach.

Now Kessell has Steve Spott (who already publicly criticized him) in a higher role (not sure which guy is the head coach right now).

I think the Leafs are going to fall out of the POs. There will not be an interim guy from outside, because everyone will know they don't have a good shot at the head job given the likely heavy Shanahan push to get his buddy Babcock (who's negotiations with the Wings just took a big bump).

Funny - a year and a half ago Eakins would be in line for the job.

[saillias]

Why would they be trying to move Dion a half-season after signing him to an 8-year extension?

Nothing has changed since they signed him to that contract except the coach. The management group is the same. Their team is the same, Dion is the same player you expect him to be. If this rebuild or gutting of the leadership was just around the corner, why did they commit 8 years just a few months ago? Nothing here reflects well on Nonis or Shanahan. Just seems like fickle Sather-style decision making, flip-flopping on a whim playing with owner's money.

[sureLoss]

Ron Wilson has come out of hiding to blast the players:

Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur
Ron Wilson: "Some core players have failed under two or three coaches ... You’d have to surmise that some of them are uncoachable now."

Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur
More Ron Wilson: "Phil’s problem is ... he’s two weeks on, and two weeks off ... you can't rely on Phil." He's throwing bombs,

[Street Pharmacist]

What Ron? Phil wouldn't play for you either?


Kessel is sick a lazy selfish player

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The Jets game was the most dramatic demonstration of why Carlyle was fired. The Leafs have consistently been out shot, out chanced and out everythinged while he was coach.

Holy crap! Almost 30 minutes without a shot for the Leafs

[Juggernaught]

Almost every coach eventually gets fired but the discussion on the firing of a Leaf's coach begins the day he is hired. I don't dislike (nor like) the Leaf's because I tend to dislike(respect) teams that are decent and can beat my team a good deal of the time (Chicago). Having said that, between the obvious micromanagement and upper management meddling, combined with what appears to be the "tail wagging the dog" from the players, what coach would be anything but a lame duck and whipping boy for the media where the Leaf's are concerned?

If I'm the coach and I want a player to play left wing, he will play left wing, even if he's the fricking goalie. Of course you want to try the "buy-in" approach first and support your decision but once those are out of the way it's got to be "my way or the highway". That, and ice time are the only cards left in any coaches hand at the NHL level. If you give away or don't have both you are done. Good luck to the next coach of the Leaf's...

[Geeoff]

I feel like trading Phil Kessel would be a mistake for the Leafs. They paid a lot to get him and he is their only game breaking talent.

[atb]

Reporter asking Kessel if he's a difficult guy to coach, pretty funny reaction:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/kessel-on-ca...fault-1.176130

[nik-]

Originally Posted by saillias

Why would they be trying to move Dion a half-season after signing him to an 8-year extension?

Nothing has changed since they signed him to that contract except the coach. The management group is the same. Their team is the same, Dion is the same player you expect him to be. If this rebuild or gutting of the leadership was just around the corner, why did they commit 8 years just a few months ago? Nothing here reflects well on Nonis or Shanahan. Just seems like fickle Sather-style decision making, flip-flopping on a whim playing with owner's money.

They have a new President of Hockey Ops since that contract. Shanahan was hired 4 months after the extension. I'm betting he, like a lot of people who watch Dion play a lot, thinks that was a poor decision.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by atb

Reporter asking Kessel if he's a difficult guy to coach, pretty funny reaction:

http://www.tsn.ca/video/kessel-on-ca...fault-1.176130

stupid question asked at a stupid time. coach just got fired, and you ask "so the coach is fired, and you have been called uncoachable, is that true"?!?!

don't blame kessel for his reaction, i actually enjoyed it. Calling the guy an idiot in front of his peers was great.

[Poe969]

ya, that was pretty classless. I officially want to see Torts as their coach now, that would be awesome.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Poe969

ya, that was pretty classless. I officially want to see Torts as their coach now, that would be awesome.

Dallas Eakins is probably going to get another coaching job before Tortorella.

[thefoss1957]

Carlyle's teams have been awful in all advanced stats his last two stops, IMO, the surprise was the extension that the Leafs offered him going INTO this season...this is a long overdue move...and Woe to any incoming coaching regime, Toronto seems a guaranteed, high pressure, fail, with meddling from every level from the fans and press, to the top...It would be as if Cub Fans (like myself) expected to be repeat WS champs, in complete ignorance of the history and reality of repeat failure (half a century for the Leafs, a Century plus for the Cubs!)

[DeluxeMoustache]

I am looking for them to rehire Carlyle and ask him to wear a paper bag on his head, then do the reveal!

(One of my favourite true Leaf stories)