(Editor’s note: the following reportage is 100% fictious, full of speculation from the desperate and sickened mind of a Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey fan).
After another painful night at the rink (a Leafs loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the worst team in the NHL), this reporter fell into a nightmarish thought sequence which led to the following conjecture scenario from the recent past, to present day and into the future:
Wednesday, Oct 26: Team President, Brenden Shanahan, meets with Larry Tanenbaum and the Leafs board to present his exit strategy plan for GM Kyle Dubas and Coach Keefe. Approved. Two clandestine calls placed to potential head coach candidates by Shanahan. Barry Trotz speculates his desire to someday coach an original six franchise.
Thursday, Oct 27: Brandon Pridham accepts offer to become interim General Manager. Shanahan makes direct calls to Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong, Blue Jackets Jarmo Kekalainen and New Jersey’s Tom Fitzgerald. Leafs lose to the San Jose Sharks
Friday, Oct 28: Barry Trots, Pridham and Shanahan meet secretly in a Mimico park to discuss details for a succession plan
Saturday, Oct 29: Leafs lose in LA. Final transition budget developed by Pridham
Sunday, Oct 30: Loss to Anaheim. Shanahan meets with Dubas and Keefe at Pearson International to give them their termination notices
Monday, Oct 31: Shanahan holds a noon press conference to announce the firings and to introduce Pridham as the interim General Manager and Trotz as the new Head Coach. Pridham immediately announces trades for d-man Vladislav Gavrikov of the Coumbus Blue Jackets, d-man Jacob Chychrun from the Coyotes and forward Myles Wood from the New Jersey Devils. Leaving town are Nick Robertson, Wayne Simmonds, Justin Holl, Pierre Engvall and some cash. Trots introduces his new coaching staff and plans
Tuesday, Nov 1: Coach Trotz holds his first full day of practice including a bag skate and the introduction of new defensive system
Wednesday, Nov 2: Leafs 4 Flyers 0
Good night and rock on !!
Love it..
Sometimes dreams come true..
Only one problem with that scenario..
Dubas has them in such a cap mess they couldn’t even bring in Ethan Bear for a 5th rounder.
Mr. Pridham will need to make a bigger move..
How about Mitch Marner for a power forward and a defenseman ?
Get off the Trotz bus, hes not the answer,