Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos is reporting from sources that Leafs CEO Tim Leiweke has interest in adding current NHL Director of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan in a potential role with hockey club.
Rumors throughout this season have indicated that Leiweke is interested in adding a Team President to the current management structure, which was vacated when Brian Burke was dismissed in January 2013. Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky was mentioned as a possible candidate, but denied any interest in the position with the Leafs.
The 45-year-old Shanahan, a native of Mimico, ON, has served as the NHL's top cop for almost three years and his name continues to pop up in various management opportunities throughout the league.
*******
The Maple Leafs departed the NHL post-season picture with a whimper on Tuesday, as a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning mathematically eliminated Toronto from the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.
The defeat was more of an exclamation point at the end of a sentence written in the last two weeks of March, as the Leafs lost eight straight games in regulation after winning two road contests in Anaheim and Los Angeles due to a deadly combination of key injuries, inept defensive play, average goaltending and subpar special teams.
“It seems like a long time ago and it’s been a lot of turmoil and a lot of stress around us since that time. When we came out of the California trip, we thought that we’d proven to ourselves that we could compete with some of the good teams and we wanted to take the next step, but it went the other direction for us.… a somber Randy Carlyle said following his club’s 10th loss in 12 games. “We don’t have the answers right now as for why it happened that way, but we’re all responsible.…
Leading scorer Phil Kessel took his share of the responsibility for the club’s decline, expressing his disappointment and embarrassment after the game.
"Obviously we didn't play well enough, I think both ends of the rink we didn't play well enough. We obviously didn't get it done." Kessel said to TSN’s Jonas Siegel. "The last 15 games we didn't get it done and that's why I'm really disappointed. We just need to be better. Obviously I'm not happy the way this has ended here. I don't think anyone is."
Toronto has two games left in their season, against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, FL on Thursday and the finale in Ottawa on Saturday, but the post-mortem and evaluation of what went wrong has already begun and continue into the summer.
“I think we have more than what were able to accomplish and that’s the most troubling issue here. We just didn’t find a way to compete to a level that was necessary and execute to a level.… Carlyle said of his club down the stretch. “I’m sure we’re going to spend lots of time here over the next little while and there’s going to be lots of questions and lots of prodding going on the answers to that.…
*******
Center Dave Bolland was scratched on Tuesday because of pain in his surgically repaired ankle and could be shut down for the remainder of the season to prevent further damage being done. The Mimico, ON native has not been close to 100%(two goals in eight games) since returning to the lineup on March 22nd after missing 56 games due to an ankle tendon laceration.
The question now is whether the Leafs will re-sign the 27-year-old unrestricted free agent before he hits the market this summer. Toronto and Bolland’s representatives were far apart on term and salary when the two sides exchanged offers during the Olympic break and may resume negotiations after the season, but his future with the Leafs could depend on whether Carlyle returns as head coach and whether he is willing to take less than the reported $5 Million price tag.
Former Panthers GM and Sportsnet commentator Doug Maclean mentioned during an interview on the FAN 590 Wednesday morning that Bolland could be headed to Florida as a free agent if he does not agree to a new deal with Toronto before July 1.
The Panthers would be make some sense for the former Hawk, as current Florida GM Dale Tallon has a history of acquiring players he is familiar with from his days in Chicago, like Kris Versteeg and Brian Campbell. According to CapGeek, Florida has a projected $27 Million in cap space this summer and with veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo in place, Tallon make have the go-ahead to spend for quality veterans like Bolland to complement young core players Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Eric Gudbranson.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.