You're not going to believe what former Leafs GM Dave Nonis said.

Dave Nonis may have officially lost his mind, his completely inability to judge on ice talent is what eventually got him fired as General Manager of the Maple Leafs but he's sticking to his guns. Nonis recently spoke to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun in his first interview since getting fired, and his comments seemed to suggest that he hasn't come to terms with just ow bad the leadership core on the team was.

"I don’t think they have to move Phil Kessel. You only move him if you decide the return is worth it. If you don’t get value for him, you’re only hurting your team. I believe the baggage that comes with Phil is overblown. Are there things he has to change? Absolutely. But I can assure you of this: Whatever team wins the Stanley Cup this year will have a Phil Kessel in the lineup. I can guarantee that. Does he have things to work on? Yes. But he has something other players don’t have. He does have pride and he does want to win. He has to learn to focus some of those characteristics and do a better job. But he’s not a player they have to move."

Nonis even admitted he could of traded away Dion Phaneuf at the deadline, but made it clear he still believes the much maligned Leafs' Captain can be a key part of the team.

"I could have traded Dion at the deadline. We had a deal, it wasn’t a great one, but it was a deal," Nonis said. "I look at Phil and Dion and I still think they’re elite, upper-end players. They both could be traded, but it’s not like the Leafs are stuck with them if they’re back. I think they can come back and help them."

It's easy to see now exactly why the Leafs stuggled so badly, Nonis appears to be living in a reality of his own making, perhaps in his next interview he's going to explain why the Leafs should look to reacquire David Clarkson.