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There's no getting away from trade talk for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Interim coach Peter Horachek says there's no use trying to avoid the subject with rumours swirling about his team heading into the March 2 NHL trade deadline.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press

If there is one person worthy of empathy in the mop-up operation known as the rest of the Toronto Maple Leafs season it is their interim head coach, Peter Horachek.

Somehow, despite the fact he has as much chance of being around next season as most of the players, Horachek has to somehow bring purpose to them in what is the oddest final quarter of a season for this team in years. There have been worse endings to seasons in the sorry history of the Maple Leafs in the 48 years since they were last a Stanley Cup winner but none stranger than this one.

When the people who run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment had their come-to-Jesus moment recently after the team's management made it plain the only reasonable course of action was to level the structure to the foundation and start over, Horachek was put into an impossible situation. While management doesn't care if the Leafs win any of their last 24 games, and gee wouldn't it be great if they didn't and somehow came out of nowhere to scoop the Connor McDavid draft pick, Horachek still has to make the effort.

This is for two reasons, one of which is of at least some importance to his employer. Horachek has to inject some life into the Leafs simply to prevent the atmosphere from getting so poisonous the malaise will get into the heads of the few young players still in the team's plans like defenceman Morgan Rielly. Winning is a long way away and nothing eats at a young player's enthusiasm like the absence of hope abetted by a group of sour veterans.

The other reason is personal. Horachek, 54, is a hockey lifer who spent his playing career in the minor leagues along with a good portion of his coaching career. This is his second shot at being an NHL head coach in as many seasons but both came at equally long odds, as the interim coach not in the team's plans after the incumbent was fired.

Last season, Horachek did a good job for the Florida Panthers, working them to a 26-36-4 record in 66 games after Kevin Dineen was fired. He actually kept them in playoff contention until the trade deadline when a couple of injuries combined with a few trades pulled them down despite the addition of goaltender Roberto Luongo. There is no chance of that with the Leafs, where Horachek is 2-14-2 so far. But somehow he has to shop his resume around for next season.

"It's our job to prop them back up and make them ready to play every day," Horachek said and then admitted it is not easy to do in Toronto where even losing does not dim the media scrutiny. "It is probably harder than most places. There's more critiquing of every situation. I understand that, that goes with it.

"[My job is to] motivate and put them into a better place and try to get people engaged, playing a better brand of hockey. I've done that, I believe, but at the end of the day the record, your wins and losses, are what you're critiqued on. But if you're trying to change culture or trying to change mind-set, then it has to start somewhere."

Leafs veteran Joffrey Lupul, in explaining why the players have to somehow find the will to put up an effort not only through the next 12 days to the trade deadline but the rest of the season, laid out just how difficult Horachek's job will be.

"Some days it feels like the end of the world with whatever: the rumours and trades and losing friends and not sure who's going to be next, and obviously losing games gets unbelievably frustrating," Lupul said. "Everyone in here's hurting and frustrated.

"There's lessons to be learned for lots of these young guys. Everyone in here has something to play for, whether it's yourself, a contract, young guys trying to make an impression for next year, [pending free agents] wanting to go to a contender. There's still plenty of reasons to come in here and work hard. But that being said it can be quite frustrating."

Horachek admitted to feeling that frustration in the wake of the Leafs' desultory effort in losing 3-2 to the Panthers on Tuesday night. So he had a short meeting before practice Wednesday.

"The room was very silent when I was talking," he said. "I wasn't mixing any words. I feel like they have to hold themselves at a higher accountability to each other and feel like it's not acceptable to go into a game and turn pucks over that much and to play that way."

Even though Horachek said he was happy with the team's effort in the practice that followed he probably also understands there weren't many true listeners in the room either.

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