Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.2

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The Maple Leafs’ on again off again courtship of Scotty Bowman to have him assume a vague job title and an even more unclear set of responsibilities appears to be off again, and this time for good. Because the saga stretched on for so long, there was likely some interested on Bowman’s part but it was likely the Maple Leafs convoluted change of command that inevitably scared him off. It’s not inconceivable that Bowman asked for Bryan Colangelo-esque carte blanche in running the team as a condition of accepting the Leafs offer and why wouldn’t he? A man of his stature and reputation in the league, Bowman is past playing the political games that go on in many front offices throughout major league sports.

But don’t think JFJ is resting easy now that the search to replace him before he is even gone is allegedly over. Ferguson’s contract expires at the end of this coming season and it’s quite likely the first half of this season will determine whether Ferguson will still have an office at 40 Bay Street come next season.

Now well into his tenure as GM, Ferguson has put his stamp on this team. Nobody can say he is just a victim of his predecessor’s mistakes. He has brought in numerous players since the departure of Pat Quinn and has had a long enough time to rid the team of inherited players from Quinn’s regime he did not think would lead the team to success. The significant moves made last off season in acquiring Raycroft, Kubina, and Gill were largely ineffective. This summer: three more major acquisitions in Toskala, Blake and Bell. Should this team again fail to deliver the license to print money known as home playoff games for a third consecutive season, don’t think the leniency of Richard Peddie et al will continue much further.

JFJ has come to the crossroad in his tenure as Maple Leaf general manager and team’s success or lack there of this season will tell us whether the decisions he has made were the right path to take. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.