Fletch needs to give his head a shake

When Cliff Fletcher says that the TML coaching is a plum I can't help but ask how. If the roster was as stocked with the grinding nastiness and passionate, bloods-aboiling competitiveness as their beat writers, maybe, just maybe it would be a job worth having. Instead, all the Leafs have to offer is a line-up that is 3 top-six forwards and a 3-4 defensive pairing away from contending. There isn't a lot of soon-too-blossom youth in the system like the LA Kings or Columbus Blue Jackets have to get excited about either.

Fletch has nothing more to make that assumption on than the Leafs' history and status as a business entity that is trying to trade on the last remnants of the cache given it by Foster Hewitt, Conn Smythe and Darryl Sitter's 10 point night. The corporate level chaos at MLSE makes Leaf fans look fondly back on the Harold Ballard days and puts the Leafs in a situation where a marquee calibre GM will be the only one to steer clear of the T-boned egos of Larry Tanenbaum and Richard Peddie. The attitude toward filling the GM position is part of the same culture that has insisted that the Leafs have to make a big splash because they are the Leafs. If you want a big splash, just look back on the cannonball that the past season turned into. Before too long the Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft deal will be an even more vivid reminder of the Leafs' refusal to bite the bullet and rebuild from within.

Rather than trying to make a big splash and falling for the brain-addling allure of Leafcentric thinking, it is time for Fletcher and the higher-ups at MLSE to go with a solid hockey guy who has a clear vision of what is the best way to build the Leafs franchise and stick to it. The past dreams of getting Scotty Bowman, or the current obsession with Brian Burke are pipedreams and the Nonis-will-beget-Burke dream is evidence of how badly hung up people are on the big name. The Leafs have to get over themselves and their star f***ing and get on with the fundamentals of presenting a competitive team.

Reality check!

If the egos at MLSE were aligned... If... If... the leafs might be well served by someone like Vancouver's Steve Tambellini or Detroit's Jim Nill or someone else who has served a similar apprenticeship and is ready to take the next step. Won't happen though.