Concede This

Since pleas have gone unheeded, perhaps Maple Leafs management will listen to cold hard facts and the resulting elementary conclusions when spoken by the revered Eric Duhatschek

The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that nominally considers itself in the hunt for a playoff spot, are 28th overall since Dec. 1, with a 12-18-2 record, good for 26 points. For the mathematically challenged, it means only the Chicago Blackhawks (26 points in 35 games) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (19 points in 35 games) have had worse records than the Leafs since the beginning of December. Toronto's recent slump has been noteworthy, but the cold hard facts are, their freefall began a long time ago — and should send a clear message to Leaf Nation and the man in charge, John Ferguson Jr., that the time to start the rebuilding process is now, not next summer or sometime in the far-away future.

And if Ferguson doesn't figure this out, and get permission to act accordingly, then "It is simple"; changes beyond the roster are needed.