Earlier this week on The FAN 590, Toronto's all sports radio station, morning host Andrew Krystal asked former NHL bench boss Barry Melrose what it would take to get Melrose away from the relative calm of the media world and into the Leafs dressing room as head coach. Melrose's answer was firm and final- not enough cash, authority or incentive on the planet to coax him to take over the Leafs if the job was ever offered. All of which points out that despite the naivete of Maple Leaf supporters that there's no life like it, a smart hockey man would avoid the Leafs top job like the plague. Ron Wilson may not be the next Scotty Bowman but he certainly has deserved a better fate than what appears to be staring him in the face if the Leafs fail to make the post season- that is, dismissal at the hands of his friend, Brian Burke. The simple truth is despite a fast and successful start this team is simply not very good- again. Last year's woes, compounded by poor goaltending from Vesa Toskala have been replaced by an anemic offensive output that has left the Leafs shutout in 2 of their last 3 games. Leaf faithful were buoyed by Brian Burke's mid-season changes last year and felt enthused by the off season signings of Colby Armstrong and Chris Versteeg but very little of these personnel moves has borne substantial fruit. Important to remember that both Armstrong and Versteeg were 3rd or 4th liners with Pittsburgh and Chicago and although key parts of Stanley Cup winners they were the ultimate role players, not exactly rivals for frontliners like Crosby and Toews. Thinking they could be anything more in T.O. was wishful thinking at best. Lastly, where would this or any blog be lamenting the team's poor showing without pointing out yet again the debacle that is the Phil Kessel deal? This one appears to be history making and could follow Brian Burke forever- you're welcome, Boston Bruins. So tally it up and Coach Wilson is stuck fighting through an NHL season where once decent expectations have been dampened by too many nights when the Leafs looked like, well, the Leafs. Ron Wilson deserves his share of the responsibility for the lousy record that this team has under his tutelage and he will likely pay for that with his job at the end of the year, but open admissions by former coaches like Melrose that the Leaf gig is radioactive reinforce the notion that it's a lot more than just the coach that has, yet again, in 2010-11 left this franchise hopelessly underachieving and frustrating beyond explanation to the fans of Leaf Nation.
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