Ferguson's Trial by Fire

That last post got my Leaf juices flowing big time.

So who is John Ferguson Jr. and what the hell is he doing with our beloved Leafs? After last season's fiasco, many are already calling for JFJ's head, and rumours abound that he is thoroughly disliked already by players and agents. The way he handled the Roberts-Nieuwendyk debacle was indeed ludicrous, since all he had to do was simply not offer either a contract, knowing full well neither would be part of the future. Why he handled it the way he did, I'll never know, but Roberts and Niuewendyk are gone, period.

I've also heard people say that he should have landed Joe Thornton via free agency. Ludicrous. Thornton was never going to sign with anyone but Boston. Just because someone is a free agent does not necessarily mean that any team can sign him. To say the Leafs had a better chance of signing Thornton than the Columbus Blue Jackets is simply wishful thinking. There was certainly no way in hell the Leafs could have traded for him as the Sharks did, Pat Quinn had already traded away the bulk of our farm system over the preceding 5+ years.

Look, Leaf fans are intelligent, passionate fans, anyone in hockey will tell you that. But we're used to winning, and we don't take kindly to excuses. So when Ferguson was unable not only to win a Cup but even make the playoffs, we freaked out. We freaked out. But what are we actually freaking out about? That we missed the playoffs by 3 points? Ferguson wasn't on the ice when the Leafs mailed it in against the Habs in those two late season games. Quite frankly, that we only missed the playoffs by 3 points is astonishing, given the new economics of the game and a whole new set of rules. Of course the argument will be "If Ferguson had made the right player moves and acquisitions, the Leafs WOULD have won those games". That's patently ridiculous and we know it. What, having Darren McCarty instead of Tie Domi would have made the difference? Please. The Leafs were hamstrung from the get go by several large and impossible to move contracts that made a total roster overhaul impossible. You can't waive or buy out every single player except for Sundin, Kaberle and McCabe. You just can't. You have to be patient. You have to evaluate your farm system by having them actually play at the NHL level. You have to evaluate the new economic system and determine what players are worth what amount of money. You have to evaluate the new rule changes to determine which players are effective and which are not. That process is not pleasant, but let's be honest, in the Leafs' first year of that process, we missed the playoffs by ONLY 3 POINTS. We win those 2 games in Montreal, and we're in, and we aren't talking about this right now. But we lost those games, so here we are.

Is Raycroft the answer? I don't know. Can Paul Maurice effectively install a culture of accountability and start to get more from less? I also don't know that. Will Ferguson be able to put together a competitve roster for the upcoming season? Surely yes, as we've already seen last year's ramshackle squad end the season with a 13-6-3 record. The only question is how competitive it will be. But until I can definiteively say that Ferguson is not making progress of any kind, I simply will not cave in and call for his head.

Deal with THAT, or don't.