Patience, learning from past mistakes and not taking half measures has to be at the forefront of the Toronto Maple Leafs organizational philosophy for the coming rebuild if it is to yield successful results in the next few years.
There are no guarantees that the plan recently green lighted by the MLSE board to clear out most of the current roster and start from scratch will succeed, but it is an avenue that has been successful for many NHL organizations and one that the Leafs have avoided taking in the 46 years since their last championship.
Toronto has had a short term mentality filled with quick fixes and resets aimed at keeping the money rolling in. Under Stafford Smythe, Harold Ballard and Punch Imlach, the post-expansion Leafs sold off many of their minor league teams and organizational depth(something that the Canadiens 70’s Stanley Cup dynasty did not do).
The Ballard era was a sideshow orchestrated at the whim of a cantankerous miser with singular goal of keeping the coffers of the “Carlton St. Cashbox… full and similarly the reign of the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Fund was more focused a guaranteed profit margin and building downtown condominiums than the product on the ice.
Former GM John Ferguson Jr. unsuccessfully pitched the MLSE Board on going in the direction of a rebuild after the 2005 lockout with an aging core group and his successor Cliff Fletcher was unable to move out veteran players due to their no-trade clauses.
Brian Burke had full autonomy to do whatever he deemed necessary to make the Leafs a winner when he was hired in November 2008, but Burke opted for a quicker renovation instead of the more arduous path of bottoming the club out and building through the draft.
“I’m not a patient person. I was born impatient and I’m gonna die impatient.… Burke said in April 2012 in his famous “Pittsburgh model… presser.
That impatience brought forth dealing two first round picks to Boston for Phil Kessel in September 2009, the seven-player mega trade with Calgary for Dion Phaneuf in January 2010 instead of doing what current contenders Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, St. Louis and the NY Islanders did by selecting cornerstones Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, John Tavares and Victor Hedman in the top five of two consecutive drafts.
Team President Brendan Shanahan and GM Dave Nonis are expected to start the “scorched earth… portion of the rebuild in the two weeks leading up to the March 2nd NHL Trade Deadline, moving pending UFA’s like Cody Franson, Mike Santorelli and Daniel Winnik, but to give the rebuild the best chance to succeed, Shanahan has to embrace the "Buffalo model… with the same fervor that Burke rejected the "Pittsburgh model… three years ago.
For the #Leafs to do proper rebuild, Phaneuf & Kessel have to be moved before next season: http://t.co/hLINSRng2k pic.twitter.com/yc1RORMAxe
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) February 13, 2015The trading of Phaneuf, Kessel, possibly Jonathan Bernier, Tyler Bozak and others before next season is not solely for the reason that they do not combine to make up the core of a winning NHL team. Toronto has to move these players for two reasons, to clear the long term salary commitment and to prevent effective, talented players from making the Leafs too good to finish at the bottom of the NHL for the next two or three seasons.
The Sabres cleared out veterans Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller during the 2013-14 season for draft picks and prospects. A stripped down Buffalo club finished 30th and drafted Team Canada World Junior standout Sam Reinhart second overall in Philadelphia. GM Tim Murray deftly got the club over the cap floor adding players who would not prevent Buffalo from finishing 30th and getting one of Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
Interest in Kessel will not diminish based on his uninspired second half play in Toronto, which means that the Leafs will likely get the traditional package for a premier scoring forward (young NHL roster player, top prospect and a first round pick), but might have to take back players with significant salary in deals to get young assets or draft choices in deals for Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul and David Clarkson.
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