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Jim Hiller is the new Head Coach

dappleganger said:
All the reporting I've been hearing is the Leafs and Rielly are working together to facilitate a trade out of TO.
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And those were the same reporters who had Hiller on their coaching short list, right?
The same ones in the media circus who said Marner was being traded in 2024, right?
 
Zee said:
There seems to be quite a bit of positive reaction to this hire in the media. Not sure what to make of it. 🤣
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I think it's hard to really say it's a bad hire. I feel better about this hire than I did Berube. Overall I would say that the new management hasn't done anything stupid yet. They also haven't done anything monumental. We'll see where things are at after the draft.
 
For what it is worth, Friedman feels the Leafs hiring of Hiller confirms they are 'going for it' in terms of trying to be competitive to help them retain Matthews. Sportsnet isn't providing me a link to the video/audio

I felt many weeks ago that they could take the roster of talent that they have and get a better result than they got last year through adjustments to the system they play - by better tailoring the system to optimize the talent they already have. A classic example of that I gave was Quinn's 1999 run & gun Leafs.

I think this tweet was already quoted in this thread:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2067314200645382293

To see that Hiller, who didn't express it the same way, seems to be open to system adjustments is very encouraging and underscores Friedman's conclusion.

The UFA market is not good/deep. They don't have a bunch of young assets they can afford to trade on a rental. Their prospect system is shallow. Aside from whatever they can do on the trade market, this is their only option if they're trying to make the playoffs next year.

Even with trades, because they're coming off a poor season, the market value for their players is low. There is probably a better chance that Hiller could improve the performance of the player better than what they could get back in a trade for a devalued asset.

I preferred a rebuild. But since they're not going to do that, bringing Hiller in to adjust their system in the wake of Berube's failure, makes a ton of sense under their circumstances. It is almost the only option they have. They underachieved with the talent they had last season so the potential for improvement is there.
They have the #1 overall pick coming
They have the Calder Cup finalist/champion to help with depth
They have lots of cap space to overpay to buy some of what few UFAs are available. They need to add a top 4 D and a couple of centers and there are a few UFAs for that
It is a challenge but not a totally crazy notion.
 
cw said:
And those were the same reporters who had Hiller on their coaching short list, right?
The same ones in the media circus who said Marner was being traded in 2024, right?
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Nah, not them. It was the ones who said the Leafs were going to hire Chaya and Sundin to run the team. 😉
 
cw said:
They have lots of cap space to overpay to buy some of what few UFAs are available. They need to add a top 4 D and a couple of centers and there are a few UFAs for that
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I guess they need to maybe go big for Raddysh? Not sure how I’d feel about a Trouba (or Klingberg, or Carlson), unless it was a shorter deal, but that probably wouldn’t get it done.

I’d actually be tempted by Laughton again as a centre, to see how he’d look under a new regime.

Wonder if you could tempt Giroux in the old Thornton/Spezza type role. But maybe that role would be better on the wing if you could get a Jamie Benn or someone.
 
Arn said:
I guess they need to maybe go big for Raddysh? Not sure how I’d feel about a Trouba (or Klingberg, or Carlson), unless it was a shorter deal, but that probably wouldn’t get it done.

I’d actually be tempted by Laughton again as a centre, to see how he’d look under a new regime.

Wonder if you could tempt Giroux in the old Thornton/Spezza type role. But maybe that role would be better on the wing if you could get a Jamie Benn or someone.
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I'm close to your way of thinking. There are not many UFAs - dmen or centers.
I'd be trying for both but have to plan on the possibility they will not get a great return - if any.

I'm working on a post for the Armchair GM Thread 2026/27 that goes through the few UFA dmen.
That is a significant problem with getting rid of Rielly - he's very hard to replace and probably easier to fix in the short term
 
The word "fun" isn't something we have heard in a while. I care much more about winning than fun, but I don't think we're anywhere close to winning, so let the team play to its strengths and have some fun. No more square pegs in a round hole.
 
Frank E said:
So the Leafs did talk to Cassidy after all.
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From LeBrun today:

"Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon revealed to local media on Wednesday that the Golden Knights gave permission to Cassidy to speak with one team midway through the playoffs. I think that team was Toronto, but I know for a fact that the Maple Leafs and Cassidy never did speak, so they must have chosen not to have the conversation for some reason."
 
rdowdall said:
I think it's hard to really say it's a bad hire. I feel better about this hire than I did Berube. Overall I would say that the new management hasn't done anything stupid yet. They also haven't done anything monumental. We'll see where things are at after the draft.
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Yeah, post draft and free agency we'll get a sense of where this team might be at. I expect some more trades soon, or maybe on draft day.
 
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