Commander Clueless

It's a great move. Hextall could potentially hold the NHL record for most fines incurred by an NHL GM by the time he retires. But seriously, I like this move for the Flyers.

Looks like Hextall is your next GM. At least that's the rumour. Sounds like fun. I hope he keeps a goalie stick around and hacks other GM's legs if they stand too close to him at the draft.

@jammer2 I had also read a rumour (not sure if true or not) that Shanny and Babcock don't necessarily have a very good relationship. Take that for what it is worth (likely nothing). If the rumours of Babcock wanting out are true, you have to imagine he's first choice for the Leafs. Nonis has reportedly been defending Carlyle and asking "who is available that is better?" , and that would answer his question nicely. I'd also be willing to give Trotz a shot if he'd be interested. Nothing against Randy. He hasn't had much time here in Toronto (2 full seasons now), but it really does seem like he's lost the room.

@yave1964 For the thing with Bozak and Kadri, I'm assuming you are assuming the Leafs re-sign Bolland? Even if they do manage to sign Paul Stastny, they still need a 2nd and 3rd line guy. I also think that Kadri has potential as a winger. I'd like to keep him because the kid can score, and Bozak had an excellent albeit shortened season. If either of the two is moving, I'd guess it'd be Bozak, but there are rumours that Kadri isn't in management's good books. If Stastny makes it to free agency, I imagine you will see a lot of teams after him which will drive up the price. The top bidder will likely end up overpaying by a good amount, but hey if the Leafs are going to overpay (which they are), they might as well overpay for someone they desperately need. Phaneuf is a good player, but he definitely needs support. I'm guessing the Leafs will try to improve internally with (hopefully) improving seasons from Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, and some prospects like Petter Granberg, Matt Finn, etc. Niskanen could be a UFA option if the Leafs can drop salary. Since you have selected side A of the coin, the Leafs trade options outside of the "key" guys seems to be pretty much just Lupul, and who knows how much he could fetch? Maybe a decent right handed defenseman? I wonder if they can save some money by moving Gleason out? The guy was pretty solid bottom pairing guy this past season, but quite expensive. I doubt there's much of a market for him and it would likely cost Toronto assets to move him, but I wonder if it is a possibility? @TropicalFruitGirl26 As a fan of the team I can tell you this team forgot how to play defense from the rope drop this season. Last season, they were much improved - heck, they were nothing short of impressive for the defense group they had. This year they failed all over the place in terms of on ice coverage, penalty killing, you name it. Last year they hit everything that moved, and this year they were all speed and no muscle. Does Shanahan want to start over? Probably not. But it remains to be seen what is the best course of action I guess. As for the fans, well, they (we) are in a bit of an uproar. Leafs Nation is mad, and probably willing to accept any changes. No changes is far more dangerous from a PR perspective at this point. Sad part is that the Leafs had just gotten themselves out of the "bad contract" stage (minus Liles turned Gleason), and now they've thrown themselves right back in. I've given up hope of the Leafs ever not having bad contracts. You are right that the Leafs have good pieces, which is a far cry from where they started this rebuild. But that only makes one wonder if they wouldn't have to start from scratch and that burning down the core and rebuilding it could be quicker. Tough call, really. Hard to justify keeping most of the players that have been around for three epic collapses in a row now.

I mentioned it simply because Subban isn't the first and won't be the last to be blasted for celebrating, and it has nothing to do with the colour of his skin. JVR didn't get blasted for the crest tug because everyone knew why he did it and, frankly, it wasn't original. For example, Alex Ovechkin and Nail Yakupov have taken how much criticism for their goal celebrations? I'm not disagreeing with your point, though, I just think the celebration example is not a good one. Hockey is dominated by white men, and people jump at the chance to discriminate. Race, gender...you name it.

Personally, I find zero fault in Subban's logo tug celebration. In fact, I like it. Is it not taking attention away from the player and giving it to the team as a whole? I thought the entire thing was overblown and stupid, but I'd argue that it should not be involved in the "racist" discussion. Many players take flak for celebrations from Donald S. Cherry. Players like Subban (with "attitude) will always get negative attention in this regard. As someone from TSN once said (Jay Onrait I think?), apparently the only proper way to celebrate a goal is to hang your hands at your sides and feel shame. As for the reaction to Subban's goal, it was disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.

...you hold in your hand a shiny silver coin. On one side of the coin, you see the face of Dave Nonis. Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th chins lies the word "Patience". On the other side of the coin you see the face of Brendan Shanahan, contorted with rage. His pupils are ablaze and flames rise up behind his portrait to form the words "Burn It Down". So, non-existent Leaf fans and closet Leaf fans who are most likely Flyer fans...what happens next? When you flip the coin, what side comes up for you? Side A) Re-work the team in the offseason. Keep Kessel, Phaneuf, and the young crowd and build from there. Give Nonis and maybe Carlyle another shot. Side B) Trade Kessel, Phaneuf, and the "core" of the team. Keep some of the youngsters and rise again from the ashes. Or, Revelation) You really need to stop hanging out with Rob Ford, because these hallucinations are getting out of hand. The die is cast. Or coin. Or Whatever. This gambling metaphor may have gotten away from me....

Bummer, I was afraid of that. You guys are most likely stuck with Weiss then and hope he rebounds. It's too bad for the guy that he has fallen off so badly. I actually wanted him on the Leafs. If St. Louis opts not to re-sign Miller, Detroit could be a very real possibility if Holland is disillusioned with Jimmy H. I think in your proposed deal, though, the Jets would want more than just Howard.

If Stastny is available, the Leafs might actually overpay for a player they desperately need instead of a...well, Clarkson.

@yave1964 Oh right, Weiss has been around two years hasn't he? Then yeah, Weiss I'd say. However, if Howard has really been that disappointing for you guys, there are a few goalies hitting free agency this year. Ryan Miller might be available. I have to think Howard has a bit of trade value left in him, though.

The Avs season may be over, but I'm a bit jealous of their team going forward. They're about where I hoped the Leafs would be at this point of their "rebuild". I wonder if Stastny will be back? Improve that defense and the Avs will be a force to contend with.

I never want to see that Giroux kid in orange and black again. Seriously, what a bum. He needs to be moved to Toronto immediately. Leafs offer you Nonis for Homer. We need a GM with balls, and Homer's got it. Then, once he completely changes the face of the Leafs, we'll fire his ass. Shake on it? Vinny signing doesn't look too good right now, but maybe you can bring Marty St. Louis over? Scotty Hartnell looks like he's forgotten how to do the whole hockey thing, I'm sad to say. Hopefully he can bounce back, but yikes. I'm no expert - was this just a bad year for him, or has he been slowly fading?

With extreme prejudice. Can they even buy out Weiss? Isn't his a post-lockout contract? Or am I out to lunch? I don't think the Wings buy out Franzen or Howard, unless an upgrade came their way via free agency (or Mrazek goes crazy). Both are still solid players, no?

Brutal man. Good luck. Hey, if it cheers you up, it could be worse. At least your team didn't choke BEFORE the playoffs even started. Okay I suck at cheering people up, but it's true! And yes, I'm still bitter.

I'm not sure, actually. If the ref saw that the puck was loose, then the whistle should not be blown. Definitely. However, pushing Stalock back with his stick is still cause for disallowing the goal. I think Joe has a point here. You cannot (and should not) be able to push the goalie and have the puck go with him. I'm guessing Mr. Lee believed that it was poked in, and not that Stalock was pushed back to knock it in. If that's not the case, he's doing it wrong. I can't believe I'm agreeing with Kerry Freakin' Fraser. As if that guy knows anything about fair reffing. #BitterLeafsFanFromSomethingThatHappenedWhenIWas6ThatINeverSaw

Joe, your team better get their collective heads out of their respective asses.

The poll options feel biased.... I went Philly, Colorado, and San Jose.

That's brutal. Sure, Stalock didn't have it fully under control, but that doesn't mean you can shove the goalie with your stick. Pounce on a loose puck, sure, but not push the goalie. Sorry Mr. Lee, but you done screwed it up.

Assuming I'm building an expansion team, I'll know tough years are there for the first few years. I'll pick Sean Avery. It can only go up from there.

I like Vlasic, and think he's a premier shutdown guy. He'll probably never be considered a top tier guy, but he's a guy you want on your team no doubt. As for this series, all I can say is...well there are a few things I can say, but they are mostly profanities. I actually still think the Sharks will win, but how could let they let the Kings back in? They had them down and out. Ridiculous. I'm still hoping the Sharks go far this year.

To be fair, these guys are travelling at high speed and even what looks like a small tap to the skates could potentially knock them off balance. But that doesn't even begin to justify what we see here. The diving is ridiculous - particularly when a player goes down when being tapped by a stick on the upper body...like somehow the sheer force of a light stick tap sends them sprawling to the ice. Message to the players: Let the refs call the hooks, etc. You don't need to help them out by flopping to the ice like you've been shot. Message to the refs: Burn the diver witches.

Am I only one thinking that the Rangers are a little overrated? I mean, between McDonagh, Girardi, and Staal they have a killer defense and a great goalie in Lundqvist but....I'm seeing some weaknesses. Unfortunately, this may be a bad matchup for the Flyers. Talent-wise, I think Philly should take this. It ain't over 'til it's over, I always used to say. But then it was over, so I stopped saying that. But this ain't over!

That's a huge loss for them. I smell a big game from Pavelski and Hertl. ...or maybe that's my supper burning.....

The Sharks have let the Kings back into this. Not cool on their part. They need to shut this down quick before everyone starts with the whole "Shark Choke" thing again. Losing Vlasic would be a huge blow.

Shockingly, despite the overuse of that word during Burke's tenure here, we are still lacking it. At least if you want to play to Carlyle's style. Technically, the Leafs don't need to be bruisers but they need some intensity instead of the lackidaisical bottom six they currently employ. Brian Burke is an odd man to me, even when you put aside the media sideshow. He came in saying you build a team from the net out, and instead built from the wingers in. He effectively disobeyed his own team building rules.