Wilson worthy of extension

The timing of the announcement of Ron Wilson's contract extension was curious, to say the least.

But that doesn't mean it was a bad decision, the wrong decision or, for that matter, undeserved.

News of the extension was released by the coach himself; on Twitter, of all places, on Christmas Day. GM Brian Burke later confirmed it - also on Twitter.

"To be perfectly honest with you I've had the extension for quite some time," Wilson said. "Burkie allowed me to announce it and I thought it was the perfect time to do it -- over the Christmas break."

Coming off back-to-back victories before the mini-Christmas break, the Leafs are entering a critical point of the season. Following road games this week in Florida, Carolina and Winnipeg - three winnable games - the Leafs will play nine of their next 10 at home. A good home run will go a long way toward securing the franchise's first playoff appearance in seven seasons.

The Leafs are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference; not a bad standing considering the number of injuries to key personnel the team has endured to this point.

So why give Wilson an extension now when a playoff spot is not guaranteed? Why re-sign him now after not doing so last summer? Why give him a new deal when he hasn't taken the team to the playoffs in his first three years?

All legitimate questions and concerns.

Taken one at a time the answers to those questions could be: 1. Because he has the team in the thick of things despite the injuries; 2. Based on his team's excellent play since the all-star break last year (they are 37-23-8) it made sense to see if the club would continue its solid play into this year and not fall off; 3. Because this is the first group of players the coach has been provided by management that has a legitimate chance of making it into the post-season and the results thus far have been positive.

It would be easy to hold Wilson up against his three-year body of work in Toronto, but is it realistic?

In Wilson's first year he had a bunch of John Ferguson deadwood to work with. That, predictably, did not go well. Over most of the next two years the Leafs lacked a legitimate No. 1 line or dependable goaltender, and yet in both seasons, the club finished with a strong second half.

This year the Leafs have one of the most productive top lines in the NHL and the goaltending, even when starter James Reimer was out with a concussion, has not been a huge concern.

With a number of NHL coaches having already been fired this season, Reimer said it's about time a successful coach was rewarded.

"It's a nice change from the trend we've seen this season," Reimer said. "It's a huge positive in here. Ron is a great coach and you can see it by how many wins he has. We have pride in our room to do well, but we get guidance and coaching from him … congrats to him and I don't know if there's a much better Christmas gift."

Wilson, by the way, has a career coaching record of 637-546-189.

Added winger Clarke MacArthur: "We have one of the youngest teams and for how well we are doing, he's done a great job. We had a good push at the end last year. I think Toronto has pushed before and then kind of started (fallen back) next season where we've taken a step forward. You should get rewarded for that so good for him."

Wilson certainly has his detractors who will go completely nuts with "I-told-you-sos" if this team doesn't make the playoffs now. It really is hard to imagine any coach still being behind the bench after four years on the sidelines at playoff time. It would also help his cause to get the NHL's 30th ranked penalty kill operating at a better success rate. Then again, four of the players who can help make that happen - defenceman Mike Komisarek and forwards Mike Brown, Colby Armstrong and Matthew Lombardi - are injured.

If you buy into the theory this year's team is the best and only one Wilson has had in Toronto with realistic playoff potential, then the signing makes perfect sense. Based on the way the Leafs played prior to the break, it's hard to imagine things taking a sudden nosedive.

Wilson was not hired by Burke, but he is unquestionably Burke's coach now. Burke's contract with the Maple Leafs expires after the 2013-14 season and speculation is Wilson was given a one- or two-year extension. It seems unlikely the organization would extend him beyond the contract length of the general manager. Wilson wouldn't comment on the terms of the deal, but did say, "I've seen lots of coaches get fired this year with lots of term left (on their contracts), so the pressure doesn't change. It's still the same. I could get fired next week for all I know. (If that happens) I have a little bit of combat pay coming, in other words. That's the way I look at it."

Wilson said he likes the direction the team - and the organization, for that matter - is moving.

"We believe that we are marching forward and we keep on improving," Wilson said. "I think the results are showing that in the standings. What we want to be is a consistent team with some continuity moving forward; not only with our players, but with everybody else in the organization.

"I'm satisfied, but I think we could have been better. Again, it's not just how the Leafs are doing. It's how the (AHL) Marlies are doing and it's the fruition of all the things we've been trying to do for a couple of years; build through the draft, quality free agent signings. It's a process that may not be quick enough for some, but with the way the league is and the way the game is played now we think that we're building it the right way. We'll have a team that will be competitive for a long time."

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.