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The Leafs are 0-6-1 and with no sign of greener pastures just yet, the question had to be asked, how long do you stick with Ron Wilson before a change is in order? Brian Burke said he'd fire every player before he even thought about firing Ron Wilson. Obviously he was using a hyperbole, because we all know that's not possible, but I understand what he means. He's placed the onus on the players. That's an admirable approach, and probably one that I would take if I were in the shoes of a General Manager that runs a team low on talent, but high on energy and effort.

However, I'm not so quick to protect this coach. Regardless of the below-average skill level he's faced with and the fact that you can't teach anyone how to score goals, Ron Wilson isn't doing his job. One thing a coach can do, especially with the types of bodies the Leafs have (most of them are big, strong, and fast) is teach special teams. Especially the penalty kill - it's all tactical. The players become like chess pieces, and whether you're Evgeni Malkin or Rickard Wallin, all things are equal when your team is down a man, so long as your coach knows what he's doing.

I don't see a shred of consistency to the Leafs penalty kill, and that's because there's no sign of structure. People are all over the place, sticks are waving about aimlessly, bodies are turned the wrong way, defencemen are in the wrong quadrants of their zone, and so on and so forth. This is a result of one of two things; either the players aren't listening or the coach isn't instructing them. Now, I don't want to make false accusations, but I think there's enough evidence to suggest it is the latter.

Consider the power play. Through seven games, I've seen only one semblance of a strategy, and it involved nothing more than Tomas Kaberle saucering the puck over to Francois Beauchemin for a one-timer. That's it. The whole power play revolves around this one-timer gameplan. There's no movement between the circles, there's nobody posting up on the half-wall for a big shot, and there's no cross crease interchanges. The Leafs power play is abysmal. Again, coaching is the biggest part of that. The proof is in the pudding - Darcy Tucker, a man of little skill, once scored 17 power play goals for Toronto. Almost any NHLer is capable, they just need to be given some guidance.

I don't want to dive too far into their 5-on-5 system, other than to say it doesn't appear that they have one. Ron Wilson probably thinks a left wing lock will help him protect his bicycle. That's not sarcasm. Don't forget, this is the man who attempted to solve a six-game losing streak by canceling practice and scheduling some on-ice dodgeball.