Ten games in to what was projected to be a difficult season in Toronto and already there is panic in the platinum seats, misery in the media and miserable excuses from all concerned.
Which of course has led to the amazingly early call for the head of general manager John Ferguson.
And replace him with what, one of the empty-headed suits that direct Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment?
We'll get back to those guys in a moment, but start with this: who's out there?
For the record, winning Stanley Cup general managers -- and for that matter even good general managers who have never won a Cup -- aren't just hanging around outside the Air Canada Centre.
As strange as it may seem to residents of the Leafs Nation, a great many have been called to serve (or at least sought out through third parties regarding their willingness to serve). Most have taken a look at the way MLSE is run and pulled out faster than Craig Simpson on draft day.
Those who have expressed interest or even faked it for some media attention indicated they wanted all inclusive powers, something, when it comes to hockey at least, the board isn't willing to give up.
Even those who believe they could do the job if the board would surrender power still aren't totally convinced it would happen. The board would concede power, maybe even put it in writing, but the really smart ones (and those that are smart tend to be smart in regards to off-ice matters as well) think that even with an in-writing commitment the use of selective leaks, in-fighting and 'business concerns' make that darn near impossible.
Which is why the good ones always choose to work elsewhere.
Now MLSE could argue that they pulled it off regarding the Raptors, but the hands-off approach in a sport no one on the board knows anything about (as opposed thinking they do regards the Leafs) is different simply because it's not hockey and doesn't have the same cache.
And so it goes.
However, Ken Holland of the successful Detroit Red Wings has had his name thrown about and we here at sportsnet.ca have been told that Holland has whispered to friends that he might have an interest someday. But that's a long way from being available and, for the record, he's under contract, loyal to the people who employ him and they in turn are loyal and very fond oh him.
Did we mention he directs a team that could win the Stanley Cup this spring?
Which brings us back to Ferguson and the suits.
For starters, it's only 10 games. There are injuries that may heal. The goaltending is decent and there's coaching that's good enough to fix some of the problems we've seen so far. Ten games is not the end of the world as we know it.
The second point to be noted is that this edition of the Leafs is the direct result of what MLSE is: a collection of interests that aren't focused on winning not because they don't want to win (they do), they simply don't know how.
If you go back a few years, Ferguson is the perfect illustration. He wasn't the best general manager candidate available, he wasn't even a general manager.
What he was was a GM in training and he got the job, in part, because the board didn't have the ability or even the consensus to get a more accomplished one.
They still don't.
Along the way, their practices have even managed to force out a capable man with real hockey experience (Craig Button) and left Ferguson even more handicapped then when the silly 'mentor' search started.
That's the way it's and always been at MLSE, and firing Ferguson 10 or so games into the season won't fix that.
