(Spoilers) The thread where CALIFORNIA LOOOOVE~!

[NobBe Nobbs]

I'm far too tired to go into it in-depth, so I'll just throw out a few things.

Kessel is a big boy. Keeping Bozak was part of signing him, but he'd still have signed here without Bozak.

Grabovski's contract was not unkeepable and I don't know where you're getting that from.

http://hockeyanalysis.com/tag/tyler-bozak/ - Bozak compared to some of last year's free agent centres, where he is painfully lacking.

7 points in 6 games is awesome. It is also a perfect example of small sample size.

The problem with Carlyle isn't that he's a dick, it's that if 24/7 is any indicator, he's frighteningly poor at understanding sports psychology, not at all good at his job and is running quality players out of town because they don't fit his system, a system that is quite obviously failing. "Try harder" isn't acceptable coaching at peewee level, much less the big leagues.

The players he's being hard on may need to wake up, but he's being hard on the wrong people. He's letting Orr, MacLaren, Fraser and the untalented slide on so, so much, but killing Jake Gardiner for making understandable defensive mistakes. There is no accountability for the scrubs.

http://t.co/7avDfFuDlv - a graph of the 11/12 Leafs and the 13/14 Leafs overlaid on one another. See the downward trends?

Carlyle is breaking this team. There is too much evidence to say otherwise.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Leafs move to thirteenth in the East in points per game. Still think Carlyle's not the problem?

[Plubby]

I don't see why you're sticking to this ridiculous facade that you read my post. If you can't do that, can you at least go back and read the part that you segmented out and quoted?

[Plubby]

Actually, you know what, fuck it. It's clear that reading a 200 word paragraph is beyond your capabilities. I hope you can manage ten.

I don't think Carlyle is the right coach for Toronto

My point's always been that with the Leafs in the spot they are you need a proper succession plan, and you need to replace Carlyle with THE guy you're going forward with. This is NOT the time to replace him with just anyone. If you put any available coach in, or worse yet an interim coach, you'll experience dead cat bounce and then be stuck with the same problem.

[SeanDMan]

Hey Toronto, how did replacing Ron Wilson and Brian Burke with Randy Carlyle and Dave Nonis work out for you?

[caucasianheat]

Leafs move to thirteenth in the East in points per game. Still think Carlyle's not the problem?

They haven't played to since I last posted. So yes

Speculative to say Kessel would have signed without his friend. There's no way of knowing and the order of events suggests getting Bozak was important if they wanted Kessel locked before the season. Remove the bromance entirely and it's still a logical move. If you're going to build your team around a streaky player longterm, re-up the center who he is most comfortable with.

We can take a larger sample size too (like all of Kessel's games in Toronto) and I feel it will still demonstrably point to Bozak as the best of all options to pair him with, admitting that it's not elite company or anything. Top line centers are scarcer to come by than maybe any other piece and, in lieu of superstars at that position, lots of teams are going with competent two-way setup guys instead.

Players who get more responsibilities on the ice (ie: carrying the puck out or playing heavy minutes & special teams) have to be more accountable, otherwise what is it that's keeping them in that position? It doesn't surprise me that a coach is harder on his difference makers than his support players. That's the way it should be. If Jake Gardiner is to be a star, he needs to handle some heat when he makes errors in judgment. He's missed *two games* all year and I heard a commentator literally use the word "insanity" and make reference to mistreatment. 20 minutes a night consistently for a guy with every-night defensive lapses is not mistreatment. Forgive me if I see a lot of this 'destroying confidence' stuff as hyperbolic.

That we're even beginning to crest on a sentiment of "Ron Wilson wasn't so bad" with that graph is just absurd. I'll call bluff and say that any coach you bring in today won't turn it around. Scotty Bowman couldn't get these guys to contend because it's a confused roster that's stuck between two identities. If you think the coaching is holding them back from overwhelming success, it's not the case.

[caucasianheat]

A coach turfing that was definitely more drawn out: Claude Noel has been fired by Winnipeg. Paul Maurice is the new head.

[The Buscher]

Islanders on a roll right now. 4 straight wins, 7 straight road wins.

[Plubby]

Oh, so that's where Ryane Clowe ended up.

[SeanDMan]

Fun fact from tonight's Kings/Canucks game:

The Canucks killed 11 minutes of penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game, and after the Kings' power-play ended, the shots were 5 to 3 Vancouver.

[caucasianheat]

Pretty awesome to see what was basically a tooth-and-nail playoff game going on in January.

Also awesome? Team USA falling apart at the seams (probably!)

[Toe]

Just a thought based...Plubby, you answer since it's your team. Would you deal Paul Stastny for Franson? Stastny seems to be the odd man out with his contract situation.

[Plubby]

Absolutely not, Stastny has been fantastic this season. From both a production and #fancystats perspective. And i've no interest in acquiring Franson.

[Toe]

That's fair. It just seems Stastny is going to be gone after this season because of his contract and Colorado's cap situation.

[Plubby]

Our what now? We're $12 million under the current cap, which is projected to rise by $7 million

[SeanDMan]

Aw, cute leaf fans think every franchise is as fucked as theirs is.

[Plubby]

Leafs move to thirteenth in the East in points per game. Still think Carlyle's not the problem?

Well if this was a valid statement then...they're now IN THE PLAYOFFS AGAIN, RANDY'S BACK, BABY.

[Pizza]

I always believed in him!

[Ruki]

Oilers give away Dubnyk to Nashville and retain half his salary. Ok then.

(Ok, they got Hendricks for him)

[Ruki]

And the Oilers trade a 3rd for Scrivens.