The Wild are in town tonight, and they have been the worst team in the NHL for a while now. Scratch that. The second worst, as the Leafs have been on an even more sad and/or hilarious slide, depending on your perspective.
The Wild have lost 9 of 12 games, and the Leafs have lost 7 in a row. It's hard to fathom how these two teams have been so bad lately, as both seem to have a similarly young and upcoming team as the Coyotes, and both teams had solid seasons going, and were virtual locks for the playoffs until three weeks ago.
Some perspective is probably in order. While those teams have been horrible lately, the Coyotes are only four points ahead of Toronto and still one point behind the Wild. This means that the Coyotes just spread their horrible play out better, since they are three teams that remain relatively close in the standings.
It's been tough to watch these two teams fail so spectacularly because they represent a new set of teams trying to knock of the perennial excellence of the teams like Boston, LA and Chicago. Whether it's Michael Granlund or Morgan Rielly or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Toronto, Phoenix and Minnesota offer fans something exciting for the future, and are just decent enough today to frustrate the hell out of them.
One thing that is important for teams building for the future is losing. You can't just assemble a bunch of talented kids and expect them to win. Ask the Oilers. The Oilers, like the Wild, Coyotes and Leafs are all going to be really good teams two or three years down the line, but before that can happen, their young players need to gain some experience, and experience gained in the playoffs is the best kind to get. There are exceptions, but most teams have to lose a few playoff rounds with their core group before they can become the kind of powerhouse and contender that the Penguins, Blackhawks, Kings and Bruins have been recently.
That is why it is absolutely essential for the future success of their franchises that the Coyotes, Wild and Leafs make the playoffs. The Coyotes are in good position. They have had their weak moments this year, but they have turned it on at the right time. The Wild and Leafs had their moments earlier in the season but have picked the worst possible time to go into the toilet. At least if you do it earlier in the year, you can either recover or get a good draft pick out of it. Do it at this time and if you miss the playoffs you waste a year and don't even pick in the top ten.
Since both Randy Carlyle and Mike Yeo stand a very slim chance of returning to their respective teams next year, it is my opinion that they should just fire them now. What's the worst that can happen? The slides continue? That is likely regardless. But in a best case scenario, a coaching change acts as a bucket of cold water on a sleeping person - it shocks them awake.
A lot of people might feel that firing the coach is an extreme move, and I agree. But when you lost 9 of 12, or when you lose 7 in a row, how is it not time for an extreme move?
Back in 2007 Lou Lamoriello fired his coach, Claude Julien, on April 2nd, just days before the playoffs. The Devils went on to win round one before losing to the Senators in round two. Now, Lou Lamoriello is awesome and Chuck Fletcher and Dave Nonis are not even close to as cool or bad-ass as Lou is, but something has to give, doesn't it?
Even if it's just to squeak in and lose in five games to a powerhouse team, making the playoffs just to lose is a crucial step in the development of a young team. I think the GMs of both the Wild and the Leafs need to step up and try something extreme before it's too late, if it's not already.
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For tonight's game, Schelmko and Morris will continue to sit. Mike Ribiero looks like he will be back in as per Sarah McLellan's tweets from the morning skate. Obviously Mike Smith will be out again and Thomas Greiss will be in net.
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