Maurice Firing Too Late?

Here's a really interesting take on the Paul Maurice firing by the Hockey News' Adam Proteau:

"What the Leafs should’ve done was cleared out both Ferguson and Maurice at the same time and installed an interim coach whose strings management could easily pull with an eye toward improving the franchise long-term.

Instead, by leaving Maurice in charge for the remainder of the season, they created a situation where he was coaching to hang onto his job – hence his insane insistence of playing goalie Vesa Toskala for 30 straight games before Toronto was eliminated from playoff contention – rather than doing the smart thing and positioning the team for a better draft slot.

Now, rather than drafting in the top five of a deep draft, the Leafs will choose seventh overall, and Maurice is gone anyway. It’s small moves like this that add up to the reason why Toronto has been pining for a Stanley Cup championship for the last 41 years."

-The Hockey News

Proteau has a good point. They knew in January that even if they squeaked into the playoffs, they weren't in any position to do some damage. Now they get the 7th overall pick instead of having a chance to snag Steve Stamkos at the draft in Ottawa this summer.

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That's a missed opportunity to rub a little shinola in their enemies faces.