The only thing I really don't like is Burke did another drive by on the players with the media to defend his guys. Paraphrased to "stop picking on Allaire, the players suck, blame them for once". I really don't think the media has been defending the players at all this year. Burke made it seem like the only criticism of the team this year has been:
Wilson (fired - check) ---> Burke (angry - check) ---> Allaire (...)
I wish the GM would spend as much time fixing the mess as he does justifying a lack of results. Whether the goaltending is Allaire's fault or not, the results just aren't there, and to me, what someone did 10 years ago (Giguere) and 30 years ago (Roy) is extremely irrelevant to today if results aren't coming. Maybe it is just the personnel, but the bottom line is that Allaire was brought in to help make the goaltending better, which he hasn't been able to do so far (although his reputation is why we have Gus/Scrivens/Owuya in the system so you do have to balance the lack of results against some of the potential that was acquired because of his presence).
Every part of the team should be held under the microscope when you have a collapse like the one that happened this year. The trainers, medical staff, professional scouts, GMs, coaches, players, and anyone else who is able to influence the preparation or performance on the ice.
Scrivens last year - .924 SV% in 33 AHL games
Scrivens this year - .925 SV% in 37 AHL games
Gustavsson's first year with the Leafs - 2.87 GAA .902 SV% in 42 games
Gustavsson's last year with the Leafs - 2.92 GAA .902 SV% in 42 games
Jussi Rynnas last year - .911 SV% in 30 AHL games
Jussi Rynnas this year - .911 SV% in 19 AHL games
James Reimer 2 years ago in AHL - .925 SV% in 26 games
James Reimer last year in the AHL - .920 SV% in 15 games
James Reimer last year in NHL - .921 SV% in 37 games
James Reimer this year in NHL - .900 SV%
Obviously SV% doesn't necessarily tell you whether a goaltender is playing a sounder game in net so it's nothing major to look at, but there really hasn't been much of a progression in terms of results from anyone in the system since Allaire came into the fold. Lack of results doesn't prove that Allaire isn't a top notch goaltending coach (because it's still a small sample size to look at and expect perfect results every time) but at the same time, I think you can fairly say that Allaire hasn't been able to turn what the Leafs have given him into production, and whether that is a fair request or not, it's his job.
When the PK sucked, posters went after Acton (even though he stopped running the PK years ago). When the team comes out flat for games, Wilson/Carlyle get the brunt of the criticism. When the team fails to show up with any intensity for a big game, Captain Phaneuf gets ripped for his lack of leadership and inability to get the team going. When Komisarek plays statue in front of the net and lets guys get easy tap ins, we ream him out.
Allaire shouldn't be immune to criticism.
