Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Looking at the Maple Leafs’ Management Crisis
Date: January 23, 2008
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: John Ferguson Jr. was (finally fired), so I took a look at where the Leafs, specifically the managing team, should go from there.

Admittedly, I am not the foremost authority on the NHL or the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a child I was raised on nothing but hockey, played nothing but hockey, watched nothing but hockey, and talked nothing but hockey. Somewhere along the line, the NHL lost me, but that’s a long-winded topic for another time. What’s important is that the NHL has shown signs of winning me back recently. As always, I watched the World Junior tournament over the Christmas break, an event that could never really lose me. Since then, though, I’ve found myself checking the standings more, reading a little bit more, and talking a lot more about hockey. In fact, Deven and I had a legitimate half hour conversation last week about the current state of the Leafs. With the news now official that John Ferguson Jr. is out as General (Mr.) Manager and Cliff Fletcher is in on an interim basis, I thought I’d quickly throw out my thoughts on the topic, pulling from said conversation with Deven.

I won’t waste your time re-hashing all of JFJ’s moves, boneheaded or not. Writers have already grilled him for Raycroft-for-Rask, the McCabe contract, the Blake signing, etc, etc. Now, there is nothing left unsaid about his performance in the role of GM. Clearly, Ferguson was in over his head in this position, proving himself unable to committ to a specific vision or strategy, and basically flying by the seat of his pants when determining the club’s direction. You would be hard pressed to find a JFJ supporter, and the job really shouldn’t have been his to begin with. He has left a less than desirable situation behind, but one that is not beyond salvaging.Enter Cliff Fletcher.

I won’t waste your time re-hasing Fletcher’s career, shocking or not. Writers have already wrote endlessly about the Gilmour trade, the Sundin trade, the playoff runs, etc, etc. Now, there is nothing left unsaid about his past performance in the role of GM. Fletcher is first and foremost a hockey man. He knows the game extremely well, he knows how to stick to a specific direction, and he is a card carrying member of the NHL Management Boys Club. It is well documented that Fletcher has the cahones to make drastic moves from the front office, and he has been given carte blanche from Richard Peddie to do so. Some would be skeptical of this type of promise from Peddie, but he is trying to save his own job, too (more on that in a second), so we can trust the claim this time around.

Fletcher’s history of shaking up franchises should be a welcome addition to Leafs Nation. While Toronto fans have generally disapproved of curse words like ‘rebuilding,’ ‘future,’ and ‘patience,’ it seems most Leaf fans are at their wits end with the current direction of the club. Thus, Fletcher, a man who has already mastered how to handle the aggressive Toronto media, truly does have free reign between now and the trade deadline. Most assume a Mats Sundin trade is imminent, but I would be shocked if the changes stop there. The Leafs have a coupel movable contracts and a few players that may be attractive to playoff contenders, and Fletcher may not be looking to get a dollar for a dollar in any moves. He needs to get the team out of salary cap hell (the only area we don’t know if he can handle, having never worked under cap restrictions) and basically put the roster in a position so that the next GM has the flexibility to build the franchise in his own image.

That last statement would make it seem I believe Fletcher is a short-term GM. Well, he was introduced as the interim at the position, and all signs point to this being a short term affair. Fletcher is happy in retirement and up there in age, plus the Leafs will likely look to bring in a high-profile GM when some become available this offseason. This hiring is an attempt on the part of Richard Peddie to save his own ass, a last ditch effort to right the ship before the entire MLSE front office is overhauled this offseason. If Fletcher succeeds in the next 6 weeks, maybe Peddie is given one more chance to bring in a competent front office team. Maybe Peddie’s future is sealed regardless, and he will be relegated to the business side of the company, where he has flourished.

The news around this signing has focused too little on Peddie, I feel. Remember that just two seasons ago the Raptors (yes, he is in charge of them, too) were in the exact same situation. Seriously. Rob Babock, a Peddie hire, had moved all the team’s valuable pieces for a dime on the dollar and was removed. He was replaced by Wayne Embry on an interim basis, and Wayne is very similar to Fletcher in that he is older, established, respected, and has a strong history of holding ships steady on rocky waters. Embry did the job adirably until Bryan Colangelo was hired, and Peddie escaped unscathed. This time, he may need more than ‘admirable’ from his interim GM, as there is no Colangelo waiting in the NHL, and rebuilding a hockey team takes longer than rebuilding a basketball team.

In the next six weeks, Leaf fans will have a lot to talk about. Fletcher will no doubt make some moves, popular or unpopular, and there are several ready-made Off The Record topics like whether Maurice stays or goes. Cliff Fletcher was the right man for the job, and his success really won’t be measurable until a new GM is brought in and has an acceptable starting point to work from. Despite the struggles, coaching changes, and trades that may be on deck, my focus will remain on how Larry Tanenbaum and MLSE handle Richard Peddie’s situation, because in my eyes, he is the real problem.