Moving Pieces

MONTEREY, Calif.--Let the Great Realignment Debate begin.

At least, that's what is anticipated here in northern California. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has mused aloud about the "30 different preferences" of his 30 owners, and most believe the debate will be contentious. A much larger contingent of media from the U.S. and Canada has gathered for this snynod of the NHL powers-that-be, and the hopes of the various members of the board of governors ranges from being ferociously dedicated to maintaining the status quo to looking for dramatic change.

Then again, with less than three hours of meetings scheduled for today and only four tomorrow before the meetings break off, there's only so much time that has been allotted to hash this out. Maybe because Bettman, always superb in organizing the vote beforehand, has the necessary two-thirds vote in place. Or maybe because this meeting is destined for deadlock and no decision on realignment, which is entirely possible.

From a Maple Leafs point-of-view, there's nothing to be gained here, only lost. While Leaf representatives, likely to include Brian Burke and Larry Tanenbaum, probably recognize the urgent hope of the Detroit Red Wings to either be allowed to move to the Eastern Conference or to a drastically revamped, four-division setup in which they'd be essentially in a mid-west grouping, any significant change to the status quo would cause team like the Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Sabres, Flyers, Devils etc. to assume significantly enhanced travel demands because of a balanced schedule. Naturally, after having it so good for so long, those teams would like to keep having it good for some time longer.

But there is a great good, right? A few teams - notably Detroit, Dallas, Colorado and Minnesota - have really carried a heavy burden in terms of both travel and TV/time zone issues, and it would be fair to help those teams out. Mike Ilitich with the Red Wings has been a good soldier for a long time, while in Dallas the new ownership group headed by Tom Gaglardi could use a hand rebuilding what was not so long ago a very strong franchise.

So I'm in favour of the four-division (conference?) set up. Don't care that two would have eight teams and two would have seven teams. A similar setup in MLB doesn't seem to be much of an issue. Really like the idea of playoffs within a division; it would make the standings and the playoff race that more interesting. As it is, nobody really pays much attention to the divisions. Only the conference standings really matter.

Under the drastic realignment scenario, rather than going for one of eight spots in a 15-team conference, a team like the Leafs would be fighting for one of four spots in a seven- or eight-team group. Having the four teams play off against each other would almost certainly enhance rivalries.

I like it, and it's time for a change. The simplest alteration would be to swap Detroit and Winnipeg, or Columbus and Winnipeg, either of which could happen.

But the big change promises bigger results. We'll see what the guvs decide.

 

 

Friday Mail Bag

This has been one of those weeks when it seems folks have been a little too eager to take speculation as fact.

For example, when it was clear Anaheim had, albeit temporarily, put winger Bobby Ryan on the trading block, I suggested the Leafs needed to seriously investigate the possibility of acquiring him even though he wasn't the centre they covet. I'm pretty convinced they did knowing the price would be very high and he wasn't exactly what they're looking for, which is a big centre.

Nowhere was it suggested that the Leafs should gut their inventory of young players to get Ryan, or even that he would be a must-buy. But some interpreted it that way.

Same with the availability of Randy Carlyle. I didn't advocate the dismissal of Ron Wilson. In fact, I never have, although I've frequently wondered about the shortcomings of Leaf teams under Wilson's guidance and how long he could retain his position if the team didn't win.

On the other hand, Carlyle and Brian Burke won a Cup together in Anaheim; it just makes sense that if circumstances presented themselves for the two men to work together again, they'd want to. But those circumstances, with the Leafs doing rather well, haven't presented themselves. That said, as long as Wilson doesn't have a contract beyond the end of this season, his future is going to be a debating point.

Last week it was chatter about Wayne Gretzky being approached to be part of a group vying to purchase MLSE. That's all the story said, but then it was blown into a suggestion that Gretzky was already part of a group or even more than that.

As it stands, none of Gretzky, Ryan or Carlyle are part of the Leafs or are expected to be in the immediate future. But it's all grist for the mill.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: I don't see how Randy Carlyle would offer "a change of direction." He and Wilson are actually very similar as coaches, which is probably why Burke likes both of them.

Geoff Read

A: I'm assuming that's a statement, not a question. So I guess I accept your statement, but disagree. Wilson has had good defensive teams in his career, but Carlyle is much more of a conservative type, in my opinion. He places a greater emphasis on muscle, while Wilson preaches an attack style that can leave a team exposed. He gave a long soliloquy at the Vancouver Olympics on how both the U.S. and Canada showed the right way to play the game, up tempo and moving forward. So while I guess you could argue that most NHL coaches are generally alike in terms of strategy and systems and differ mostly on the basis of personality, I see Carlyle and Wilson as very different.

Q: Why not bring Randy in as a special assistant to Ron Wilson for now. They can have 10 general managers but only one coach and three assistant coaches? Maybe they should just hire one coach per player ??!!??

Uncle Jake

A: I'm not sure whether you're being facetious on not. But bringing in Carlyle to look over Wilson's shoulder is neither sensible nor good hockey politics.

Q: Mr. Cox, another great article. I'm sure your inbox is being riddled with trade proposals for Ryan as we speak. I have more of a comment rather than a question but would appreciate your opinion. Would Ryan look good in a Leafs uniform? Of course he would, but so would Sidney Crosby or Steven Stamkos.  But it doesn't mean we're going to get them.

Ryan of course is not at their elite level but he's an excellent player, who's asking price would be way too high for the Leafs. Do we have the players and pieces to make this type of trade? For the first time in a very long time we do have those pieces.

Which leads to my second point, for the first time in a long time we have those pieces, so why trade them! Any deal would start with Schenn or Kadri plus a significant piece in the Leaf roster already (Kulemin, Grabovski).

I would even argue that despite an offer of Schenn and Grabovski, a first-round pick would most likely have to be offered for Murray to consider a trade. In my opinion, Bob Murray is looking at how the Lupul and Gardiner trade worked out, and will literally demand an arm and a leg for Ryan from Burke and Co. Not worth it. Patience and letting the young core develop should be the Leafs' mantra. This is not a team on the cusp of winning a cup, and acquiring Ryan is that type of move.

Even though their a division rival, let the Bruins make a run and get him. If the asking price, as stated by Mr. MacLean, would be Krejci and Dougie Hamilton that's great news for the Leafs. Bruins lose a potential successor to Chara, and trade away a bona fide playoff performer who would've been the Conn Smythe winner if it wasn't for Thomas. Yeah Ryan would be a great addition, but those losses would hurt them more in the long-run than the addition of Ryan. Would appreciate your view. Cheers.

Dilraj S. Sandhu, Mississauga

A: Well, again I'm not exactly sure what the question is. I'm assuming you want me to agree or disagree with your thesis.

Basically, I disagree, but would stop short of advocating that the Leafs go full out to acquire Ryan (who's off the trade market now anyways). But we're talking a 24-year-old forward here who is under contract for another three years. I agree Anaheim would demand a stiff price, but that doesn't mean the Leafs or anyone else has to pay it. I think he's a good to very good player, not an excellent one, not a franchise-type player. So if there was a deal there in which the Leafs could acquire Ryan for one primary asset (Schenn) and one secondary asset (Jerry D'Amigo, Stuart Percy, Ben Scrivens or Jesse Blacker) I think you would look at it seriously. But that doesn't mean Anaheim would be satisfied.

Q: Should we be going after a top-line centre instead of a winger? We need a centre more now more than ever if we want to make a serious statement about a playoff run.

Russ Robinson, Toronto

A: Well, basically, the answer is yes. But it was Ryan who was (briefly) available and not a top centre. So you evaluate that opportunity, and in general, I would argue the Leafs are still in the position of trying to add as much talent as possible regardless of position, and then use their assets later to address positional imbalances. In my mind, this is a team that could still use another top six forward, particularly one with size. Ideally, that would be a centre, but ideal circumstances are rarely at hand.

Q: Hey Mr. Cox,

I attended the Marlies absolute thrashing of the IceCaps last Saturday night. Got some good natured abuse for the sweater I was wearing. Both local media and Toronto papers described Kadri as "the best player by far on the ice" and his five points in the two games seemed to prove that. However (and please let me qualify that I am not a hockey genius) it seemed to me and some other Marlies fans that he was a selfish puck hog that didn't pass to his linemates and made huge numbers of fancy plays that went nowhere. What's your impression of Kadri and is that why he's still on the farm?

Lastly, Jeff Finger played over 35 minutes and was solid.  Just thought I'd throw that out to a good guy who can't be blamed for signing a big contract.

Cheers

Dean Menchions, St. John's

A: Well, Kadri was given some AHL honours this week, so he must be doing something right. I've never really seen him as a selfish player, but rather one who's good with the puck and tries to make things happen offensively. At times, particularly when in the NHL, he gets in trouble playing too complicated a game when simple often works better. He's a talented young guy still in the development stage who can use more time in the minors honing his skill. It matters more what kind of NHL player he'll be at 25 than at 21.

Re: Finger, well, good to see he's earning his paycheque. But he's not in the Leafs' plans.

Q: Just a quick Ryan question. What's his speed like? I've heard it's not super great. And is he a good dressing room guy? And why do you think Mike Zigomanis never seemed to make it as an NHL regular? Is he just one of those guys who plateaued at the AHL level?

Jim Barber, Napanee

A: I think Ryan has been an electrifying one-on-one player. I don't think his speed is an issue. Whether he's a good dressing room guy, well, I have no idea, and only the players who have played with him would know.

On Zigomanis, he's had chances in many places, and perhaps the opportunity has just never fit his abilities. But it's not as though the Leafs are the only team who don't seem him as an NHL player. There's no crime in being a very good AHL player.

Q: Hey Damien,

With all this Bobby Ryan trade chatter, isn't it amazing that Toronto is even a player, considering that only three years ago, we really had just one "asset" (Kaberle) other than picks.

While I'm sure every team would crave top-3 talent like Ryan, wouldn't it make better sense for the Leafs to go after Chris Stewart from St. Louis?

More of a power forward that we need and probably available at a less costly price compared to Ryan (especially considering Stewart's struggles under Hitchcock so far). Same age, less cap-hit, Toronto-kid, and probably a better fit on the second line. Thoughts?

Jim Treadwell, Burlington

A: Well, we can draw up all the draft scenarios we want but they won't necessarily match the players that are actually available. Toronto might want Stewart, but St. Louis just got him and the Blues obviously see the same potential you do.

In terms of assets, while Brian Burke has been criticized for expending first round picks on Phil Kessel, he's done a rock solid job of gradually building up the team's depth chart. Interestingly, few (none?) of the players he jettisoned from Toronto have done a great deal elsewhere.

Q: Re acquiring Bobby Ryan

Burke and Wilson obviously have a bias for American-born players. Maybe it is their familiarity with them via their national team connections, but it should come as no surprise that they're chasing him.

The Leaf success is bitter sweet for me. Sure, Canada is well represented with Phaneuf, Lupul, the potential of Reimer and Schenn, but it's hard for me to cheer for this team in this city.

Sure, everyone likes a winner, but it's still our game.

Rob James, Toronto

A: I couldn't care less where a player is from, and based on their histories, I don't think you can make any case at all that Burke and Ron Wilson have a preference for U.S.-born players. Burke's Anaheim team was led by Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, J.S. Giguere, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, Canadians all. When Wilson was in San Jose, his best players were Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle and young emerging talents like Ryan Clowe. Canadians all. Let's just drop this topic. It's silly.

Q: Hello Damien,

I have been reading your column at Toronto Star and your blog for a long time and been listening on your comments on the Fan590 for a long time. I respect your opinions on hockey matters and the Maple Leafs.

I just read your article on 'The Spin' whether the Leafs should trade for Bobby Ryan of Anaheim.

I wanted to ask you whether it would make more sense to try and get either Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry from Anaheim instead of Bobby Ryan. Would it be possible that any of these two players might be on the trade block by Anaheim? Would it be possible that Brian Burke could make a pitch for any of them? I would personally like to see Corey Perry playing for the Maple Leafs, although having Bobby Ryan is not a bad move either, provided that what goes to Anaheim is not an over payment for the player.

I thank you for taking the time to read my email and I am looking forward to your response.

Michael Maris, Toronto

A: Sure, Michael, the Leafs might prefer Getzlaf or Perry, but as of now they're not available. I mean, Perry just won the Hart Trophy, right? Perhaps they will be in the future, and in the case of Getzlaf in particular, you can be sure the Leafs would have enormous interest. Both Getzlaf and Perry are free agents after next season, and it could be that if Anaheim has trouble signing them, they could indeed become available for trade.

A Multi-Layered Collision

WASHINGTON--As if a Penguins-Capitals contest needed added storylines.

Yet there are plenty of them going into tonight's game at the Verizon Centre, more than the usual Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin platform which the NHL used to love to dine out on.

This time, there's more. Lots more, including:

--It's the second game for the Caps since head coach Bruce Boudreau was cashiered in favour of Dale Hunter, but the first since Boudreau was quickly hired by Anaheim. It was only 65 hours from Boudreau's firing to his hiring, a modern-day record. Hunter is looking for his first win, and Ovechkin for his first goal since the coaching change.

"It's not like they're going to be a completely different team," said Crosby. "The same things add up to success, no matter what the style is."

Carlyle, by the way, assisted on Boudreau's first NHL goal back in the 1976-77 season. Wild.

--It's the first game for Crosby against the Caps since Jan. 1st, the day of the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh when he suffered the first of two concussions in a collision with David Steckel, now with the Leafs.

Crosby, by the way, hasn't yet shaved his Movember moustache, his superstitious side showing through once again as he rides a three-game point streak.

"I haven't thought about (the Winter Classic) at all," said Crosby. "More just looking forward to playing against them. it's always an intense game. They've got a new coach, they should be fired up. I think both teams bring out the best in one another."

--The Caps are riding an 11-0-2 regular season streak against the Pens.

Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma has never beaten Washington in regular season regulation.

"I wish it was better, I wish it was different," said Bylsma. "There's nothing I'd like to do more than start changing that."

--It's the first meeting between the two clubs since Pittsburgh winger Arron Asham kayoed Jay Beagle of the Caps in an Oct. 13 fight then celebrated with a rather inappropriate series of gestures for which he immediately apologized.

Beagle was concussed and hasn't played since.

Asham said he's prepared if the Caps go after him. "I'm sure they've got other things on their minds," said Asham, referring to Washington's coaching change and recent slump. "But if they decide to send somebody out to fight me, well, so be it. What happens, happens."

The Caps don't carry an enforcer, so it's not clear who would take on Asham, who remains bothered by his post-fight gestures while Beagle lay unconscious on the ice.

"To be honest, I had a couple of sleepless nights over that," said Asham. "I was very embarrassed for myself and for my team. Idont do that stuff. "I know it's never going to happen again."

--With Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek both sidelined with injuries, former Canadian national junior team defenceman Simon Depres has been recalled from the minors and will play in his first NHL game tonight.

A New Twist

Nobody thought Bruce Boudreau would end up sitting for a terribly long time on the NHL unemployment line.

But three days off, well, even Boudreau might have liked a week or two longer to decompress. But in that world, you take the work when it's there. So Boudreau is off to Anaheim to take over from Randy Carlyle today and doesn't this suddenly produce a rather intriguing dilemma for Leafs GM Brian Burke?

Burke has stood loyally behind head coach Ron Wilson over the past three seasons - wasn't it interesting how it wasn't Wilson's fault when things were bad, but now we're told Wilson deserves credit now that things are better? - but today things are certainly a little different than they were yesterday.

First of all, the Leafs looked awfully leaky in a 6-3 loss to the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins last night after winning four of five. Second, Carlyle, the coach who delivered a Cup to Burke in Anaheim, a coach that Burke recruited and hired and admires, a coach who preaches the gritty, punch-first-ask-questions-later, tight defensive style that Burke loves, iis now available. Carlyle's Ducks beat Montreal last night, but that didn't stop GM Bob Murray from dismissing him and bringing in Boudreau.

A wild 24 hours, to be sure.

Enjoy the speculation now in Toronto, folks. Of course, Burke can quiet it all with one announcement, that being that he has awarded Wilson a new two- or three-year contract extension. That would kill any Carlyle-to-Toronto chatter immediately. Until then, well, let the rumours fly.

(Ed. Note: Burke, it's clear, woke up this morning more than aware the Carlyle dismissal would fuel speculation about Wilson's future. Through his Twitter handle @LeafsBB20, Burke tweeted soon after this blog was posted "Sad to hear about Randy Carlyle. But our coach isn't going anywhere!" Guess that's the 2011 equivalent of a vote of confidence.)

You do have to wonder that if Carlyle had been available last spring whether Wilson would have made it into this season given his record with the Leafs. It certainly didn't hurt Wilson that there weren't any great alternatives out there for Burke, who wasn't about to go the rookie route when it came to a coach.

But now Carlyle is sitting there, a stark alternative to Wilson, the coach who brought Burke his greatest success in the game. Just as Dale Hunter was very different than Boudreau in Washington and Boudreau will be promising a new style of hockey in Anaheim, so too would Carlyle offer a change of direction in Toronto.

This certainly isn't a guarantee that Burke will can Wilson and turn to Carlyle, or even a suggestion that he should. But it's an available alternative sitting in plain sight for Burke, and it will have crossed his mind.