The Shanny Plan

Posted 8:13 PM ET | Comments 4

Of all the potential changes yet to occur in Leafland through possible trades, call-ups, free agency and the draft, I believe the biggest change has already occurred with the addition of Brendan Shanahan. For better or for worse, I believe Shanahan to be a person who will look to change how the organization is run and there will be plenty of changes behind the scenes and on the ice. As far as roster moves, my assumption is Shanahan will be pulling all the strings and that Dave Nonis has been marginalized to the role of puppet to carry out Shanahan’s plan. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So what will the Shanny plan look like? I believe the first step at trying to forecast what may happen as far as roster moves, is to determine what type of philosophy Shanahan will bring to the organization. At a player level, philosophy to me means what are the key characteristics Shanahan will be looking for in players that will be putting on the Maple Leafs jersey. ----------------------------- With no real player movement thus far to make an assessment, the long-term past is really the only basis I see for trying to come up with the philosophy. I believe Shanahan will draw on his experiences as a player and from the people in the organizations he played for, specifically Ken Holland in Detroit and Luo Lamoriello in New Jersey to determine the path for the Maple Leafs organization. - The following is a list of criteria I think Shanahan may be using to evaluate players and drive future roster moves given his previous experiences. This is by no means intended to be a completely accurate or inclusive list, but just a list of plausible possibilities. I’m sure there are some obvious exclusions (and obvious inclusions), chief among them statics like corsi or fenwick. Although I do think Shanahan is progressive enough to put in systems and processes in place within the Leafs organization to better measure and report on an array of on-ice statics, I have left them out of this analysis. ------------------------------------- On Ice Criteria ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Players with skill/talent; Players who can protect the puck while being checked; Players who can make plays at high speed; Forwards who play both ends of the ice; Defensemen who can pass and defend well. ------------------------ Personality Traits Strong willed; Strong work ethic; High commitment level to the team; Respect for teammates; Does not want to let teammates down; Confident. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not necessarily think players must meet all of the above speculative criteria, but rather most of them. ---------------------------------------------------- So now with a list of criteria in mind, current players can be assessed as to whether they have a future with the team or not. ---------------------------------- Based on my assessment of the above criteria, the keepers on the team are Bozak, Kessel, Kulemin, Rielly and Bernier. Coincidentally or not, basically the same list of untouchables touted by Kypreos recently with the addition of Kulemin as a priority UFA. ------------------------------------------------------------ The list of maybes for me includes Bodie, Bolland, Clarkson, Komarov, Lupul, McClement, JVR, Gardiner, Gleason, Gunnarsson and Phanuef. In my mind, these are guys that can stay (or be resigned) on the roster for the right price. They should be available to be moved in a deal that brings in a player that better fits the mold Shanahan may be going for, and more likely as a part of package with players from the next group. Unfortunately in Clarkson’s case, he is likely a keeper by default. Phanuef’s status as captain likely moves him down to the next group. I believe it to be vitally important for your captain as a leader be a great representation of the criteria. -------------------------------------------- The list of immediate departures to me includes Kadri, Orr, Raymond, Franson, Ranger and Reimer. There should be no real shockers here other than possibly Kadri. My best judgement is that Kadri scores poorly as a teammate and will be sent packing this summer. Again, given Phanuef’s prominent role, if the criteria are at all accurate, he should be moved as well. ---------------------------- Beyond the assessment of the current roster, brings the changes coming through free agency, the draft, trades and guys from the Marlies earning roster spots during training camp. Hopefully all player moves will be based on a consistent set of criteria. ------------------------------------------------------------- Time will tell how wrong my forecast is. My real hope is that Shanny does have a solid plan on how to improve this team and organization as a whole and will be implementing the plan this summer at the roster level.

Filed Under: Shanahan Leafs