Quelle Suprise

Paul Maurice (268-299-99-16; .484%) was named the 26th coach of the Leafs today.

Plenty of people who know far more about hockey than I do think this hiring is a very good thing. I just look at that winning percentage and his ratio of post-season appearances to tee times (3 for 9) and wonder how Maurice stacks up against the other available coaches who are out there…I also wonder if there’s a multi-syllabic German word for “Hope the coach succeeds and the GM fails.”

Top 5 questions I trust were asked of JFJ at the newser:

1. What did the delay between Quinn’s firing and Maurice’s hiring allow the club to achieve?
2. How many other candidates did you personally interview and why was Maurice the big winner?
3. Do you think that if Maurice were given the same player personnel that you provided Quinn last season, the Leafs would have made the post-season?
4. What the heck does “respect the process” even mean?
5. After watching nearly two complete rounds of playoffs, what would you say is the key to the Leaf's success moving forward and the single biggest asset the Leafs need to acquire - speed, depth, better goaltending, a qualified knowledgeable President of hockey operations, or a longer-term deal for the lame-duck GM?

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