Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Brendan Shanahan On The Leafs Including Phaneuf

05/14/2014 at 3:53pm EDT

from the CP at TSN,

"I'm realistic that you can't do everything overnight, that there are 29 other teams that are trying to accomplish the same goal and also covet good players," Shanahan said in a phone interview Wednesday. "No one's going to lay down for us because we're the Toronto Maple Leafs and give us their assets."

Shanahan, who took his time before deciding along with general manager Dave Nonis to extend coach Randy Carlyle for two more seasons and fire assistants Scott Gordon, Greg Cronin and Dave Farrish, seems willing to take a patient approach in remaking the roster to suit his style.

One month into this new challenge, the 45-year-old insisted it's too early to even know how much change the Leafs need.

"You want to be ready to come out of the gates, we all know how important each game is, but I would say with most teams the team that starts a season isn't necessarily the same team that ends a season," Shanahan said. "For me, timing is less an issue as is the quality of the decisions. I don't feel and I'm not getting any pressure from anyone in the organization saying this team has to look like this by this date."

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On Dion Phaneuf...

from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

“I don’t know if it (stripping the captaincy) is a solution,” said Shanahan. “I think it’s a cop-out, to a certain degree an easy way out.

“Has it happened on some teams? Yes. Is it something I’m thinking about since I’ve been here? Ultimately this will be a group decision. But I can tell you it’s not something I’ve contemplated. Just the opposite. I want to help enhance the player and leader that Dion is.”

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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