Where to Go From Here

Alexander Karpovtsev is 37, probably still out of shape, undoubtedly still fond of a good time and skating for Novosibirsk Siber of the Russian league.

Karpovtsev was the player, you might remember, who the Leafs peddled to Chicago seven years ago to acquire Bryan McCabe, a trade that actually paid very good dividends.

But Karpovtsev as he is now is about the quality of asset the Leafs can expect to get in return if they try to move McCabe this very minute.

It's something Leaf fans should probably take into consideration as they consider whether to give McCabe the old raspberry - and loud - each and every time he skates for the club on home ice from this moment forward after his disastrous own goal in Buffalo Monday night.

Far be it for me to tell Leaf fans how to cheer or how to respond to their favourite hockey team. The mere fact they continue to support this franchise in sellout fashion despite years of mediocrity is enough to make it obvious nobody, but nobody, can reason with these folks or tell them what to do.

And that's probably the way it should be. Fans should be fans, its about passion, not logic, and its not necessarily supposed to make sense.

But it's at least worth pointing out that making McCabe the focal point for all that is wrong with this franchise and this team, and all that has been wrong from the day Jim Pappin was traded for Pierre Pilote, isn't going to benefit the team - and therefore the fans - very much.

Now is probably the least productive time to move McCabe. The best time was March, 2006, when he was finishing up a big offensive season with the club but had also, to anybody that was really watching, identified himself as a deeply flawed defenceman who was nonetheless headed for a rich payday as a free agent.

The Leafs weren't going to make the playoffs, although they kept trying to convince themselves that they were, and McCabe would have been an appealing asset to be moved at the March trade deadline.

Instead, as the Leafs almost always do, they dithered and chose not to make such a bold move, instead retaining McCabe and ultimately awarding him - and overpaying him - with a five-year, $29 million contract that is turning out, as expected, to be a major burden on the club's salary cap situation.

McCabe, now 32, was never going to be worth more than he was in March, 2006. And he's probably never going to be worth less than he is now because the team he plays for is losing and he's not performing up to his considerable ability.

Other clubs aren't in the business of helping the Leafs, nor are they likely to be interested in adding a $5.7 million cap hit for a player who may or may not help them, at least right now as opposed to much later in the season.

The optimum solution right now for the Leafs, McCabe and Leaf fans, then, is to stabilize the situation, not make it worse.

The Leafs, destined to possibly be in the battle for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff berth at best this season, need McCabe to once again become the type of player that other teams would consider an asset even at his inflated salary.

For that to happen, they need him to start playing better, and probably to regain his spot on the right point of the team's power play where he can start racking up some points to overshadow his chronic defensive positioning problem and decision-making weaknesses.

If that happens, and if the Leafs use their heads this time around, he might be able to be moved for cap relief and possibly an asset in return sometime before the March trade deadline. Then you move forward from there.

Drenching him in boos and catcalls likely won't make him play better - Andrew Raycroft and Nik Antropov fought through similar treatment, but McCabe just doesn't look like the type - and thus won't help the team now or later, and thus won't help the fans feel better about their favorite team.

It will only humiliate him and, by connection, GM John Ferguson. If that's the objective, then by all means go for it.

Comments

[Andre Boudrias]

McCabe needs to watch some video from the year he joined the Leafs. He was pumped and loose and happy to be there. He needs to get back to that "space." Remember him excitedly jumping into the pile of players mobbing Sundin after the Game 1 OT goal in Ottawa? That's the guy I wanna see again.

By the way, Raycroft shoulda had it!!

[Paul Vaillancourt]

As badly as McCabe has played, he may soon be over-taken in that department by Pavel Kubina who continues to get caught up ice after totally unproductive one-man rushes or simply coughs up the puck in his own end. He did both in Buffalo last night. You can't blame Raycroft when he's got these two monkeys in front of him.

[Bruce O'Neill]

Typical Damien Cox. Why be negative when he can be downright nasty. It must be the inferiority complex he suffers from as a result of being from Hamilton.

He is a long-time Leaf hater because management won't cater to his every whim. Get him off the hockey beat and send him to cover the Tiger-Cats.

They're both losers of epic proportions.

[Roger Daigle]

Let's not put all the blame on McCabe (known in my household as McCan't) First blame Ferguson for the contract he gave McCabe and secondly blame the coach, Why was McCabe on the ice at that time? Suggestion, Make him a forward or only play him on power plays.

[Shaun]

I caught the last end of the game beginning with Kilger's second goal. Hal Gill was a pylon and horribly victimized by Buffalo. Bryan McCabe cleared the puck across the front of the net in the dying minutes of the period. I think the puck actually went under Raycroft's leg.
McCabe is to blame. Entirely. It was his second bone-headed clearing attempt in front of his net that lost the game and I am dumbfounded that he actually had the second chance to score on his own net. The idea that he "reacted" and executed these two plays based on "instinct" are not excuses but only server to prove this guy has as much hockey sense as a rock.
No, booing will not make him play better but maybe it will get the message to ownership that you don't like the product they are selling you.

[lewis silvestri]

McCabe, it must be remembered, was signed at time when the Leafs had no NHL calibre defensemen in their fold: who knew that last year, Ian White & Carlo Coliacchivo would play as well as they did? The root problem is that this team is not quick enough nor disciplined enough to keep skating at full speed for 60 minutes. While the defense looks weak, remember, it the the offense that is not really keeping the puck often enough in the other team's end. It is often the case that they can't muster the beautiful scoring chances that are often afforded every team who plays against the Leafs. While there are some promising players in the organisation: Steen, Stajan, and White, to name a few, there are too many others who would be 3rd line players on most other teams (Tucker, Ponikarovsky, and likely Antropov). The fans continue to support a team, that in smaller US markets would have been lucky to see 5,000 fans show up (and most of those being Canadians attending the game)! Another perennial problem is the team's inability to draft wisely: when has the best player in the league at any given moment ever played for the Maple Leafs? Never! This is a sad truth that us Leaf fans must endure. Either the fans stop attending to make a statement to management, or the Leafs organization as a whole does the ethically correct thing and get people in the management team who actually know what they are doing. Conversely, the Leaf fans could quit putting so much pressure on the players and just let them play: this is likely the best course for success for the immediate future.

[Paul]

Absolutely agree.
McCabe is obviously a good guy. Let's cut him some slack. Lets cut his ice time a little until he plays the way he can. Furthermore he didn't have that bad of a year last year. He was a plus player in front of Raycroft so that says something.

[Blackhawk Joe]

Before too much talk goes forward about trading or not trading...isn't there a "no trade clause" in his contract to be considered? Would he be willing to waive this in the face of a hostile home crowd?

[Dave Stacey]

It is a shame that the Leafs were intoxicated by McCabe's power play goals and points a couple of years ago. Inebriated enough it would seem to sign him to a contract that is way out of wack with his ability and the ability of others. As we are now seeing, the Leafs did him no favours in so doing.

If Kaberle is a full value $4 million defenseman, then McCabe is worth about $3-$3.5 million. It is a real curse for any player to be paid way out of sinc with his abilities. I would submit that if he had received the proper contract in the first place, he would be playing much better, and he would be appreciated more.

There are always solutions to every problem if one thinks outside of the box. I think McCabe should sit down with John Ferguson immediately and renegotiate his contract. Many players do this when they feel they are underpaid. Surely to God, McCabe knows he is currently overpaid.

McCabe should offer his services for an additional number of years, given his total contracts worth, such that his pay becomes approximately $3.5 - $4.0 million per season. I am sure everyone would feel a whole lot better about that arrangement and it would allow McCabe to continue his Leaf career or it would allow the Leafs to move him a lot more easily. The players association might not like it, but they are busy right now flitting around worrying about emails.

[Tree]

Does anyone think that there will EVER be a market for McCabe? I certainly don't. On most teams in the league, he'd be the highest paid defenceman, and he still has 3 years remaining on his deal. In the salary cap era, unless Isiah Thomas becomes an NHL GM, who in their right mind would trade for this contract albatross. McCabe's strength was his slap shot, and most teams now have a plan to neutralize that - no change of scenary will change the fact that he's simply not an elite offensive defenceman anymore. And his defence? He's a minus player, takes awful penalties - and quite frankly, he's a defensive liability most nights. Add that to the fact that in his past 4 games, he's had 2 of the most embarassing gaffes a defenceman can make: tripping on his own net without an opposition player within 20 feet of him, and scoring the OT winner against his own team (and, why not throw in the 3 penalties he took against Pittsburgh).

All this talk of trading him is ridiculous! I can't envison any scenario in which someone trades for him now - even if the trade was a straight up McCabe for nothing. The new CBA doesn't allow teams to pay a portion of an outgoing player's salary, which makes this guy untradeable until perhaps the last year of his contract.

[doug melville]

Bryan McCabe is rattled and cannot handle the pressure of the Leaf uniform. He was squared right towards the Leaf net for his 'winning' goal, it's like 'failure impulse' kicked in. He is the highest paid Leaf, how many times have you seen somebody shoot a puck with conviction in their own net? He panicked again. This is a bad situation - expect more and more blunders from him - he will not turn it around.

[Jonathan Yeh]

good points Damien... i agree mostly because I saw things the way you did back in 2006. If I recall, Vancouver was a perfect trading partner, one team who was lacking a puck-moving defenseman who could have added some scoring punch on the PP. But as you pointed out nothing can be done about the past, all we can do now is move forward from here.

[Naz I.]

The Maple Leafs are a joke, from the incompetent GM right down to the vastly overrated players. As someone rightly said, perhaps the fans should stop going to the games, giving them the same treatment the Raptors were given a few short years ago. It certainly worked for the better in that case.

[steve k]

This is a perfect start to the season. Why? Because after the late summer speculation and rumours of a new management regime coming in ie (Scotty Bowman and his crew...not that anyone actually believed this would happen)we might NOW if we're at all lucky,see some real change. Who runs this team? Signing 2 "star" goalies in back to back summers for tonnes of dough! A slug of a defenceman for 19 million dollars!!! Wheres Rick Jackman and how much would he have cost?..And Kubina? another one!! Let whoever it is who runs this brilliantly run money making corporation which own a pathetically managed hockey team fire the the GM, bring in somebody capable..theres got to be someone out there, clean house and start form scratch, cause we all know if not the best were going to be is # 8!!

[Sam]

The mistake was most definitely made in 2006. Management should not have heeded the calls of some vocal fans to sign McCabe, and should instead have assessed him for what he is - a unidimensional offensive threat. Sure some fans would have been angry, but then again, some fans are always angry about somthing. It would, however, have made the team better if, say, they used the McCabe money to sign a proper winger for Sundin - or an offensive d-man with some defensive skills.

That said, I don't have any sympathy for McCabe. He asked for the money and got it. With more money comes higer expectations, and he's not living up to the bargain. Fans are expressing their displeasure in the only way fans have to express themselves to players - at the rink. And if the booing seems a bit harsh, it should be remembered that players are no longer loyal to fans at all costs (i.e. taking less money to stay), so I don't see why fans should be loyal to players at all costs (i.e. support them when they are not performing well for a long period of time). It's not as if the booing has reduced McCabe from playing like Orr to playing like.... well... McCabe.

It was McCabe's and Leaf management's respective choices to enter into this arrangement, and some fans urged the signing. All parties have to held accountable. I'm sure, however, that at the end of McCabe's career, the money will be seen as worth it. $30M eases alot of short term pain, lol.

[Stephen]

Damien, forget "value", let's give him away and sign Markov (who they never should have let go in the first place, but hey).

[Glenn Devlin]

I think the problem lies with lack of leadership and guidance. I'm not sold on Paul Maurice's coaching abilities and I'm certainly not sold on JFJ either. I think FJF and Maurice need to go and bring in someone with solid leadership, guidance, etc like Pat Quinn - the players that Quinn picked are here - Wellwood, Stajan, Steen, Calcaivio (sp) Tucker used to shine now he's afraid of his own shadow and we hardly see him and guess what? Under Quinn We made the playoffs only to be beaten by faster better teams in the final crunch. And what was under Quinn - the question is this - are the Leafs responding to Maurice? I just don't think Maurice is the ideal coach to guide and nurture and install confidence in the team. I'm sorry but Maurice needs to go - the Leafs need a coach who has REAL NHL experience - knows how to play the game and USED to play the game.

Where are you going, Pat Quinn?

[Newton]

The only solution I can see, if McCabe continues to play well below his contract value, is to play the NJ Devils AHL card and pay McCabe full salary to toil for the Marlies thus avoiding the cap hit. Kubina and Gill could join him with Ferguson manning the butter station in the concessions.

I'm almost certain the CBA precludes the renegotiation of contracts.

[OddyOh]

@ Dave Stacey: I don't think contracts can be re-negotiated in the new CBA. Otherwise no player would have any sort of job security. Lawyers and agents would have their hands full though. :)

No, I think the only option is to hope for McCabe to improve. He likely will never regain his success from 2006, so I don't know...moving him to forward might actually be worth a shot. But for now he is awful to watch, and he's been like that for a while, too long.

Other than that, they could put him on waivers, since no one would take him, and he could regain his form with the Marlies...if he's still good enough for the AHL.

Bottom Line: John Ferguson Junior needs to go ASAP, so when I hear the entire ACC booing McCabe, I hope JFJ feels partly responsible. I'm sure he thought McCabe would be a solid d-man for years to come, but if you look around the NHL, there's tons of players who sign big contracts (especially this past year), who will crumble under the pressure...just wait.

And then there's Kubina...sigh...

[Don Jones]

Give the guy a break!!! Leafs fans are imfamous for booing some pretty good hockey players - Larry Murphy, Frank Mahovlich, Antropov, Hoglund, Hammarstrom, Sundin & Belfour(at first), how many more could I mention? Almost all of these did pretty well either after leaving the Leafs or having someone else take their place as the team scapegoat. I am a huge fan of the Shacks, Clarks, Domis, and Tuckers, etc. but you need a variety of skill types to be a winner. Maybe a short course in Hockey 101 is in order for some of these so-called "Leaf" fans.

[Gomesie]

McCabe has two glaring weaknesses: his brutal positioning in the defensive zone (he never seems to know where to go) and his inability to keep the puck in along the boards in the offensive zone. Leafs coaching really need to find a way to simplify his game and work intensely on his defensive decision making. They also need to reduce his minutes. He really should not be on in crucial last-minute situations. His confidence is shot right now and he needs to be coaxed back slowly.

[Kevin, NWT]

Bryan McCabe is basically Todd Gill with a better slapshot. If Fergusan can't get McCabe and his asinine salary off the books and make room for a defenceman who can skate then the leafs should follow the examples set by New Jersey and New York Rangers and send him to the minors. Ditto for Pavel Kubina. The leafs need to be blown up and start over. John Tavares here we come!
PS: the sooner JFJ goes to get on with inevitable rebuild the better

[Denial]

I don't see how any team that isn't as dysfunctional as the Leafs (i.e. no other team) would trade for McCabe, since they'll almost certainly have to accept the no-movement clause. And what other team would inherit that, for a 2nd line defenseman? I don't know how many teams would be able to accept it for a 2nd line All-Star. McCabe isn't going anywhere for at least the next couple of years.

The reason Leaf fans boo McCabe is because he's a lightening rod for everything they hate about this organization. It's a bloated, arrogant organization that doesn't bother changing because it doesn't have to. Do you remember what Bell was like before Sprint/Rogers? Do you remember what Air Canada was like before West Jet? If you think that both Bell and Air Canada are bad now, wow, you weren't around back then. Trying to get customer service or even basic constractual obligations was living hell.

The Leafs don't have to change because they face no actual competition. People still go to the games. People still watch on TV. People still buy Leafs stuff, and they even buy stuff that is branded with the Leafs stuff, like (???) condos and for all I know, condoms. Why the hell not?

Booing McCabe is pointless. Even if he wins the Hart trophy the Leafs cannot compete seriously until the get a goaltender. They could have had Luongo a couple of years ago.

I give up.

[Steve MacLellan / Riyadh, Saudi Arabia]

The Leafs have a long history of crashing against Buffalo. If my memory serves me correct, go back about 15 or 20 years to a Leaf - Buffalo Saturday game in the regular season on CBC, sometime after the inception of sudden death overtime. I think the game was played in Tornoto at MLGs. The Leafs were ahead 5 -0 at the end of 2 periods. They then caved in and gave up 5 third period goals to Buffalo, and then proceeded to quickly lose the game in overtime on a Buffalo slapshot from the point (I think it was Phil Housley, but not certain). I have never forgotten watching that game and how I felt after it. Then the Leafs did the exact same thing again a few years later against the Calgary Flames - brought back my bitter thoughts on that Buffalo game. Times may pass but they don't necessarily change!

[Amanda]

I didn't think that McCabe was worth the huge contract then, and I don't now. Our entire defense is pretty porous and Kubina committed horrible errors during the game against Buffalo. I maintain, however, that I have every right to boo McCabe. Kaberle was the main cause of the first goal, Kubina the cause of the second. But watch every game and, when it counts the most, when the game is on the line, that is when McCabe mucks up. He isn't the entire reason that the Leafs are losing, but sure isn't helping them win.

Mr. Cox, you seem to imply that as a Leaf fan, we must all approve of each and every player and each and every play/misplay that they make. Each time I buy a ticket to a Leafs game, I have entered into a contract in which the Leafs have promised to entertain and try their hardest to play well.

The bottom line is McCabe isn't living up to his part of his contract and Leaf fans have every right to voice their displeasure.