Follow Colin on Twitter! Follow @ColinDJD Well if there’s one thing we can say about the Toronto Maple Leafs it’s that they are seemingly taking the necessary steps to ensure they are equipped in the analytics area.
Recently announced, the Toronto Maple Leafs have added a few extra personnel to their “analytics department… by hiring Darryl Metcalf, the founder of ExtraSkater.com. In addition to Metcalf, the Leafs have also added Cam Charron and Rob Pettapiece who worked for Yahoo Sports.
While perhaps not exactly exciting news for most fans, these organizational changes shows a commitment to moving with the times and ensuring that Toronto is well equipped, analytically. For starters, Metcalf has run the most respected online database for advanced stats which is now the sole property of the Leafs – that’s right, his site is now offline and no longer accessible to the general public.
While I don't have a ton to offer on the two other hires, Cam Charron is highly respected in the hockey world and known as a “stats savant…, and according to Rob’s own twitter account he’s a “Mercenary sports analyst/statistician… - so there's that.
Toronto has now added four total members from across the rink….or internet…to their organization including the recent hire of Kyle Dubas from the Sault Ste. Marie Grey Hounds organization.
Of course, leave it to Steve Simmons to take a jab at one of the three.
I like the hiring of Darryl Metcalf. I dislike the hiring of Cam Charron, who from my experiences is a weasel who can't be trusted.
— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) August 19, 2014Like I said, I’m sure many of you might not be overly excited with the news, but to me this finally screams that Toronto is moving in the right (or any) direction, despite not exactly being ahead of the curve. And while it's better late than never to make improvements like these, we can't forget that it was just a few short years ago that constant and repeated erroneous decisions came from the Leafs organization, be it trading high draft picks for 54 year old players or what have you. Okay a little exaggerated but you get the point.
Is there a perhaps a chance that we are seeing change in thought, culture, or even more specifically towards the strategies and processes of the Toronto Maple Leafs moving forward?
Well here’s the thing – Toronto is certainly making the little improvements needed to be successful, albeit perhaps a year/two late, but at least we can sit here and say: Yes, this actually makes sense! As a close follower and fan of the team, there haven’t been too many times where I’ve had this luxury.
That being said, there is still a lot of work to be done in order for this franchise to yield any success, and the hiring of an analytic's department can only improve their game plan and strategies, but don’t expect the team to suddenly become a threat like Bugs Bunny’s magical water to the team during the Space Jam movie.
For those who missed it, the Leafs have also hired Brandon Pridham as an assistant to general manager Dave Nonis. Pridham who was a senior advisor to the league’s Central Scouting operation and a senior director with the NHL’s Central Registry brings just an added layer of depth to the team's brain trust.
“For fifteen years, Brandon has played an integral role in the central scouting and central registry departments for the NHL,… Nonis said. “His intimate knowledge of the complexities of the salary cap system and strong relationships around the league will serve our team well.…
As mentioned, the hiring of these men should bring about some excitement to fans in knowing that the team is spending money and looking to improve in as many facets of the game as possible. Provided they remain on trend with respect to trades, personnel moves, development and drafting, perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs are on their way to once again becoming a household name which doesn’t end in a punch line.
Maybe. Then again, ask me again come January.
Thanks for reading!
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