One thing to remember with Todd McLellan on the market: Shanahan said Leafs wouldn't be averse to hiring a coach before GM.
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 20, 2015
Tuesday Links:
- The Neutral: Todd McLellan, Sharks mutually part ways (Fear The Fin)
Todd McLellan has become the first casualty of the Sharks’ disappointing season, with general manager Doug Wilson announcing today that the team’s head coach of seven years won’t be returning to the bench for an eighth season.
I - Eric Duhatschek: Maple Leafs, Oilers would be wise to reach out to McLellan (The Globe and Mail)
Many believe the reason the Maple Leafs waited so long to clarify Randy Carlyle’s status with Toronto last summer, or why the coaching hire in Florida took forever was because NHL teams were waiting to see if McLellan might somehow come free back then.
I - TSN1050: Dylan Strome on Leafs Lunch (MLHS)
Dylan Strome on potentially getting drafted by the Leafs: “It’s something that you dream about. It’s icing on the cake.”
I - David Shoalts: Broadcast deal hurting NHL as Canadian dollar declines (The Globe and Mail)
The contract with Rogers is paid in Canadian dollars, which sharply declined in value against the U.S. dollar after the deal was announced on Nov. 26, 2013. As a result, the NHL is taking a large hit in the contract’s first season: One NHL governor, who spoke anonymously because league officials are forbidden to publicly discuss NHL business, said the currency hit for the 2014-2015 season was pegged at about 17 per cent, which, based on the annual average rights fee of $433-million, works out to a $73.61-million loss for the league.
I - Stephen Whyno: Todd McLellan has unique skill-set to fill any NHL coaching vacancy (Yahoo! Sports)
“I think he can fit in any situation,” said Anaheim Ducks assistant Trent Yawney, a close friend of McLellan’s. “He has the experience now. He’s had that development side, he’s worked under some pretty heady coaches — Jacques Lemaire and guys like that. He’s very balanced.”
I - Anthony Petrielli: Leafs Notebook Season Finale – April 20 (MLHS)
The assumption here is the new “GM” will take care of some of those media appearances now, as well as offer his insight into their decisions, use his connections, and take care of the daily duties of the GM. But make no mistake, the decisions come and go through Shanahan. If it wasn’t clear last summer, it is now—This is his show.
I - Bower Power: Now and Later – The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2015 Season (PPP)
The back half of the Leafs‘ 2014-15 season was mired in failure on-ice, but the off-ice results were some of the best we could’ve hoped for. There’s a long, long way to go before the Leafs look like anything remotely resembling a competitive NHL team, but the first step is admitting you need help, and in this league, the second step is looking for long term solutions. Maybe somewhere in this team is the right group of people to provide those solutions.