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Maple Leafs Continue to Impress |
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The summer months are always a slower time in Leaf Land as they are throughout the National Hockey League. The hot months of summer are flying by as they always do. It’s certainly been an active one in Toronto as the rebuild continues to be addressed as the Leafs continue to hire staff. The Maple Leafs will open their preseason schedule on Monday, September 21st. Toronto and Ottawa will square off with two split-squad games, one being in Toronto, the other in Ottawa. There will be a total of eight preseason games, the last two will be against Babcock’s former team; the Detroit Red Wings.
Steve Briere, at 38 years of age was hired as the new Leafs goaltending coach on Monday; he’s made the big jump from tier-2 junior hockey. Briere has a special relationship with his mentor and ‘goalie guru’, Mitch Korn who he’s worked with since 2007. Korn, who is employed by the Washington Capitals, has worked with other goalie coaches including Mike Valley from Dallas, Mike Bales from Pittsburgh and a few others who have coached goaltenders at the NHL level. Korn is considered to be a teacher for goalie coaches and has had a lot off success with it. He teaches them how to be professional, how to prepare and be patient, how to communicate with more than just the goalie and of course how to create a winning plan for his goalies.
Briere was quoted saying: "My plan, the same plan I give my goalies, is the same I do for my own life," Briere said. "You can't teach people things that you don't have a conviction for. My dream from Day One was to be an NHL goalie coach. Everything I have done was on the path to get here."
Another quality signing by Shanahan as the pieces continue to fall into place.
This isn’t the only recent signing in Toronto as the Leafs have scooped up another one of Detroit’s pieces. Ari Vuori was also picked up on Monday as the Maple Leafs signed the European Scout who was in the Red Wings system for years behind Detroit’s Hakan Andersson. Andersson was responsible for many of Detroit’s late round gems over the past 25 years. Toronto’s new Euro scout Vuori will be working with Thommie Bergman, who plans to be working less these days as he continues into his late 60’s. Vuori who has spent the last seven years working under Andersson has surely learned a thing or two along the way.
Another excellent hire for Toronto as the Leafs poach one of the top European scouts from the Red Wings. This is another example of how Maple Leafs organization can use their financial advantage over other teams hiring the best of the best. Slowly yet surely things are falling into place under Shanahan’s leadership. Finally, the blueprint continues to unfold and hopefully success with follow. Does it feel as if the Leafs are heading in a direction with quality personnel in place? Of course it’s still a long road ahead, but one that seems to be following down the yellow brick road, instead of the circles we have been detouring for years.
Morgan Rielly has been somewhat sheltered in his early career in Toronto. Thankfully he still has his head on straight after three up and down seasons, with three different coaches. It will be quite the change for Rielly going into this season under Babcock, knowing that this will be his coach for years to come. Morgan knows “Babcock is a great coach with a huge reputation as he has won just about everything there is to win”. Rielly was also quoted saying that he feels Babcock is going “to get the best out of the players”. That seems to be a common theme when someone refers to Mike, which is just what you want to hear as a fan.
Rielly was high on Phil Kessel and still is as he speaks volumes when talking about number 81. Morgan praised Phil saying that he was a “highly skilled guy who can play with the best of them. A great person as well, a great teammate”.
Morgan knows that Toronto is a difficult place to play and when things are bad, they are really bad. Of course when the Leafs are winning, it’s happy days. He certainly knows what it’s like to be on the losing end of the puck after the way things unfolded last season in Toronto. Rielly will do all he can going forward to avoid another horrific meltdown like the Leafs endured last season. “You just hope you don’t have to experience that again, and you just want to be better for it.”
William Nylander and Coach Babcock had a brief exchange in Collingwood recently. Of course Babcock being the new coach wanted to meet one of the team’s most promising young prospects. Nylander of course was drafted by Toronto in the first round of the 2014 draft. Mike wanted to know what Nylander’s game was all about and who he idolized growing up and where he saw himself down the road. Mr. Babcock let the 19 year old know that: “when he takes a job he’ll have a job” as “the jobs aren’t given to anybody’ you’ve got to take one”.
As we know the Leafs organization finally has something we have lacked for years, high quality prospects and patience. Toronto plans to develop their young players properly and bring them up when they are confident the player will succeed. No rushing. Nylander was drafted 8th overall and could be ready at some point this season to make the big jump. Would it be wise to bring him up to the big show? I’m not so sure about that, I wouldn’t be surprised one bit to see Nylander play on the Marlies all season and get better and better on the North American ice getting chemistry with future Leaf players. Nylander on the other hand wants to impress the management and make it a difficult decision for them to send him back to the Marlies. Last season Nylander made the jump from Modo in Sweden to the AHL in Toronto and managed to put up 32 points in 37 games, which is quite impressive.
Whenever you think this season that one of the young guns for Toronto should be playing on the big squad, remember this:
"We're not going to bring them up unless they're absolutely ready to stay up all the time," Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas said of the team's prospects. "We want them to be 100 per cent ready to play for the Maple Leafs."
Without question; Dubas means business when he says this.
Thanks for reading.
Blogger •Atlantic Division Writer • 
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