It’s been exactly 816 days since Mike Babcock was officially announced as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was an announcement that gave Leafs fans around the world a reason to rejoice; they finally had a stable head coach with a winning pedigree. Team president Brendan Shanahan spoke at lengths about his plan for the Leafs future; while we’d seen a few signs of change to that point, it wasn’t until the Babcock signing that the Shanaplan felt in full swing.
Two seasons later and that renewed sense of optimism has morphed into genuine excitement not felt by Leafs fans in ages. With Babcock at the helm and an influx of elite young talent, the team is poised to be competitive for years to come.
Let’s not look at the future though. That’s too forward thinking for hockey. Let’s look at the present, and what Mike Babcock has done for the Toronto Maple Leafs to this point.
There are a few different ways to determine Babcock’s success. You can look at his win-loss record, but that’s a wash because the last-place finish of 2015-2016 is considered a success (weird how that works). You can look at the improved performance of individual players, special teams, and other team statistics, but I’m not really feeling that. I think the most prudent way of determining Babcock’s success is a Pros and Cons list!
So, what are some of the best and worst things Mike Babcock has done well in his Leafs tenure?
PROS:
Auston Matthews: The 2015-2016 season for the Maple Leafs was a rough one. Led by the high-scoring PA Parenteau, Babcock masterfully guided a ragtag group of players to the basement of the NHL, all the while managing fan expectations that this was all part of the Shanaplan. For his efforts, the Maple Leafs were rewarded with a crown jewel: a franchise centreman named Auston Matthews.
The point to be made here is that Babcock has held up his end of the bargain and the Leafs have been rewarded for his efforts.
The Playoffs: For only the second time since the 04-05 lockout, the Toronto Maple Leafs made it to the postseason this year. There were zero expectations from both the league and the fans; everyone knew that there would be growing pains, especially for a young, inexperienced team. The only expectations for the Leafs were to end up with another Top 10 draft pick this year.
Led by a bevy of rookies including Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner, Babcock steered this ship from the bottom of the league to a playoff spot, with a high-powered, uptempo offence that the Maple Leafs fans haven’t seen in years. Once they made the playoffs, the Leafs shocked the hockey world by pushing the Cup-favourite Washington Capitals to the limit.
Babcock’s work reinforced to Leafs Nation that the Shanaplan is working, and potentially ahead of schedules. That said, from this fan’s opinion, let’s continue to manage expectations. That’s a topic for another article, though.
His sense of style: Let’s be real, the fact that Babcock changes his ties based on the base colour of his team is awesome.
From the red McGill ties with Detroit and Team Canada:
Photo courtesy NHL.com
To the royal blue of Toronto:
Courtesy TSN.ca
Mike Babcock is a symbol for style among NHL coaches. And his get-up at outdoor games? Don’t even get me started.
Courtesy NHL.com
I believe the kids call that steeze. Not to mention, great cameo from Paul McLean’s moustache. Plus, there’s the case of my favourite Leafs-related gear, Babsocks:
Courtesy @Babsocks/Twitter
CONS:
He doesn’t listen to the fans:
“Why is William Nylander on the fourth line; he’s a first-line talent!”
“Matt Martin is garbage, play Josh Leivo!”
“Take Zach Hyman off of Matthews’ wing, that’s a place for Marner or JVR!”
“Trade JVR and Bozak for a defenseman!”
The fans of Twitter absolutely know what’s best for the Maple Leafs, and the fact that Mike Babcock hasn’t listened once is blasphemy. He makes decisions based on his own personal opinions, without taking in to account the opinions of the other members of Leafs Nation. They know just as well as he does.
He can leave if he wants to: Elliotte Friedman first reported back in 2015 that Babcock may have an out-clause in his contract:
You mean to tell me that Mike Babcock could leave in 3 seasons time? What if the Buds don’t win a Cup by then? Will Babcock get bored and find a new team? Will he break our hearts as quickly as he stole them?
I don’t like this relationship being on uneven footing. This is a definite con, folks.
He hates rookies: Don’t be fooled by the contributions made by our rookies this year; Babcock is notorious for stifling rookies. Look at the Red Wings’ current situation: They left Anthony Mantha in Grand Rapids for far too long and didn’t give him any opportunities to flourish earlier in his career; Babcock relied on aging, oft-injured stars such as Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen. Mantha is the latest in a line of Wings players such as Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, and Xavier Ouellet, who each spent over 5 years in the minors before receiving regular playing time with the Wings.
In Toronto? William Nylander was called out multiple times for his poor defensive play, being relegated to fourth line duties for stints during the season. Connor Carrick was in-and-out of the lineup at the beginning of the year. Josh Leivo put up 10 points in 12 games, yet still somehow found himself in the press box. And the Frank Corrado saga needs no extra detail. Long story short, Babcock needs to put more trust and responsibility in the Leafs young core if he wants to succeed going forward.
If you couldn’t tell by now, the sarcasm was strong with this article. Mike Babcock and the rest of the Leafs front office have taken a franchise known for poor prospect development, overspending on underperforming players, and mediocrity in the 21st century, and turned it into a franchise that will soon contend for the Stanley Cup. His reliance on the youth is one of the main reasons that the Leafs tasted the postseason this year. We can argue about lineup decisions and player deployment all day, but ultimately Babcock’s decisions led us to the playoffs. Let’s all sit back and enjoy the ride this season brings.
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