Far be it for yours truly to defend the actions of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there’s a first time for everything, so here goes.
Reports surfaced on Wednesday that the Leafs have low-balled Ron Wilson with their initial contract offer. Apparently their offer wouldn’t make him the highest paid coach in the NHL, nor does it put him in the near vicinity.
You don’t say.
When exactly did Ron Wilson become the best coach in the NHL? When he started piling up regular season wins? He has never coached a team to a Stanley Cup championship, and every time his teams get close, they fold up like a tent.
I can list at least seven employed coaches (who were good enough to KEEP their jobs this spring) that deserve to be ahead of Wilson on the salary scale.
Lindy Ruff
Ken Hitchcock
Jacques Lemaire
Peter Laviolette
Mike Babcock
Mike Keenan
Craig MacTavish
Before you go pounding your mouse against your forehead on the last one, MacT has not only also been to the final once as a head coach (Wilson – 1998 Capitals), he crushed Wilson and his San Jose Sharks straight up in the third round in 2006 for the right to get back there.
Next caller, go ahead.
Most Leaf fans will agree that there are far too many underachievers on the Maple Leaf roster right now and what they need is a coach who can grab them by the lapels and show them how to make the most of their talent. Would you say that Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have made the most of their talent in their time under Wilson? How about Marcel Goc? Kyle Mclaren, anyone?
Don’t get me wrong, Ron Wilson may very well be the best man for the job in Toronto. If the Leafs didn’t think so, they wouldn’t have offered him the job. There are five teams looking to hire a head coach right now, so the laws of supply and demand are also coming into play.
But does Wilson deserve to be among the highest paid coaches in the league?
Gimme a break.