Toronto Maple Leafs Cannot Afford to Make Rumored Error

The Toronto Maple Leafs did one of the dumbest things any team did last season:

The Toronto Maple Leafs played Ron Hainsey on the top pairing.

In a move that defied all logic, common sense, statistical analysis and eye-testery, the stubborn mule known as Mike Babcock never deviated from what was easily the worst player deployment in the league, possibly ever.

So it is with great disappointment that I learned, from Bob McKenzie of TSN, that the Leafs may want to bring Ron Hainsey back on a one-year deal.

Don’t do it boys. 

Shoulda Just Fired Babcock

For a while after the season ended, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to get a new coach.  The GM – Kyle Dubas – refused to back him in his end-of-season presser, and the logic of having the old-school, stubborn Babcock continuing to undermine his boss in the press didn’t seem to make any sense.

When it was announced that Babcock would indeed return, many of us assumed it would be with some new parameters. I.E he would have to buy into the thing the rest of the organization is doing and coach like it.n

But with this sickening, disheartening and extremely disappointing news, who knows?  Maybe Dubas is going full Babcock?

I doubt it.

Signing Hainsey makes no sense. Even as a depth option, the Leafs have Rosen, Borgman, Hollowell, Liljegren, Holl, Sandin, Dermott, Marincin, and whatever free agents and trades are out there.

And quite literally anyone would be better than Hainsey, who was a negative in every single category (shot-attempts, shots, scoring chances) except for goals (total fluke based on playing with four of the best players in hockey all the time).

Hainsey hurt the team because he is old, slow and terrible at hockey. He can’t pass, can’t hit and can’t skate.

He is done.

Re-signing him would be one of the biggest mistakes in franchise history.

Last year, when Ron Hainsey skated with anyone but Rielly, his stats bottomed out.  When Rielly played with anyone but Hainsey, his stats skyrocketed.

It is impossible for me to believe that what is supposedly the NHL’s most progressive front office, rumoured to be adding 50 million to their analytics budget,  would sign off on bring back Ron Hainsey.

It would be a complete embarrassment for the team.

I am hoping that this “rumour” about Hainsey is wrong.  The Leafs are a notoriously tight-lipped team, and hardly anything leaks.  Perhaps this is just some one asking a question, and the response being “Yeah, Dermott is injured, Gardiner is likely gone, We’d love to move Zaitsev and Hainsey is UFA, so it’s pretty crazy to move four of your six D when you’re a contender – radical even – so I think he could be back.”

But come on – bringing him back would be ridiculous.  Literally all of Rosen, Borgman, Sandin, and Liljegren could outperform him right now.  To be honest, I’d rather have Martin Marincin or Justin Holl on the ice.

To the Toronto Maple Leafs, just say no to Ron Hainsey.

He is bad for you.

Let us just hope that the Leafs are run better than these rumours indicate. This would be the most disheartening move the team could possibly make. The fans need to know this team is on the right track moving forward, and signing Ron Hainsey would indicate they don’t know what the hell they are doing.