The Montreal Blueprint is the only way to save the Maple Leafs from a decade of stagnation
Keith Pelley praised the Montreal Canadiens organization in his press conference and for an MLSE executive to publicly gush about their century-long rival is admitting failure.
The good news is the blueprint is sitting right there. Toronto just needs the guts to actually do it.
Now before the pitchforks come out, there is a lot to like about the Canadiens organization right now and considering how successful they are couple with a bright future — they are poised to be contenders for a long time.
Toronto needs to find a group who is willing to not only take the time and dedication to build a contender, but also surround themselves with some of the best minds in the game.
Frankly speaking...Toronto needs their Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.
The two-headed monster in Montreal provides the exact vinegar Toronto needs
When Montreal added Gorton to their ranks, oh boy did they get a good one. Let's take a look at the players he brought in as a member of both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers front office:
- Patrice Bergeron*
- Brad Marchand*
- Phil Kessel*
- Tuukka Rask
- Joe Thornton*
- PJ Axelsson*
- Sergei Samsonov*
- David Krejci*
- Milan Lucic*
- Adam Fox*
- Mika Zibanejad
- Michael Del Zotto*
- Brad Marchand*
- Phil Kessel*
- Tuukka Rask
- Joe Thornton*
- PJ Axelsson*
- Sergei Samsonov*
- David Krejci*
- Milan Lucic*
- Adam Fox*
- Mika Zibanejad
- Michael Del Zotto*
*denotes players drafted by Gorton
Umm...does any of that look nightmarishly familiar to the Maple Leafs? The entire 2011 Bruins team that haunted them was built by Gorton. He had the mind to draft guys like Samsonov and Axelsson late meanwhile knew something was special when he traded up for Brad Marchand.
Not to mention he stole Tuukka Rask from the Maple Leafs 20 years ago; there's a reason you need someone like this running your ops.
Meanwhile, Hughes (who started as an agent) changed the culture of Montreal with a combination of expert negotiations and being someone who the players want to play for.
He went with his own guy in Martin St. Louis; a former player with a Francophone connection still; and did away with the mandatory cycle of names you would hear: Jacques Martin, Michel Therrien, Claude Julien etc. He kept the culture but changed the tone of voice.
That sounds exactly like the same situation Toronto is in right now. The culture needs to be altered severely, and you need to bring in someone who will make deals, not sign bad contracts, and who makes it fun to play hockey again. As much as it's business — it's still a game.
Pelley's admiration of the Canadiens organization is a harsh critique of Toronto's failed system
When you're talking highly about a team who has been your bitter enemy for over a century, you know things are tough. But mispronouncing Michael Hage's name aside; Pelley clearly knows what the team needs.
In conceding that the Habs are simply better overall right now both on and off the ice, it's an admission of failure that no one but Toronto themselves has to blame for it. For a team with 'the most resources in the NHL' they certainly didn't use them for a decade and that's where Pelley knows they failed.
But it also lies on him and while he can skirt accountability as good as the next guy — he's very much at fault too. He fired Brendan Shanahan with no replacement yet said he doesn't involve himself in the day to day. So it was...just Treliving and Berube; no middleman, no mediator.
Toronto needs to have a President in charge who can take the vision Pelley wants and apply it practically. That involves hiring a Gorton-esque figure or even a more analytical and scientific mind in the vein of Eric Tulsky.
Then, a GM with the same vision can come in, use their expertise and data-driven strategy to draft, trade, and sign players who not only make them better now, but in the future.
This is not to fix the team for next year. This is to fix the team for the next 50.
Keith Pelley's next decision, presumably the one to hire a Team President is going to be arguably the biggest choice he's ever made. With one chance to get it right, he better pray that whoever his dart lands on is a bullseye.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Chris Pronger puts the Maple Leafs on notice with his strict conditions for the MLSE to join the front office
Chris Pronger puts the Maple Leafs on notice with his strict conditions for the MLSE to join the front office
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 1|1082 ANSWERS The Montreal Blueprint is the only way to save the Maple Leafs from a decade of stagnation Should the Maple Leafs follow in Montreal's footsteps? | ||
| Yes | 756 | 69.9 % |
| No | 326 | 30.1 % |
| List of polls | ||