Sportsnet: “All bets are off” in regards to Babcock

[CabanaBoy5]

Maybe I don't start him in either and run with Andersen for a bit. Mix it up you know? Try to win a few games and worry about resting Fred later

Sam, once again the voice of reason. I've been advocating this for a while. What is the use in resting Andersen if the playoffs are in peril already. It's not like goalies haven't played back to backs before. Montreal did this last year when they put themselves back in the playoff race. IIRC Price played virtually all the games in the last 2 months.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Win games obviously.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

I don't see how this team can keep Babcock behind the bench, unless they win 2 of the 3 games this week. Any less and our position in the standings would be pretty dire, and the on ice product is likely to look even worse.

 

[Cor]

Are you sure Stickty? Because that suggests to me we're going to keep on keeping on without doing anything

I mean, I don’t think it tells us anything. Leafs coaching and management team taking in the game of the team they play next on an off day when they are in the same city anyway isn’t unusual.

 

[al secord]

People just assume Keefe will be the saviour. It's a terrible situation to bring a rookie head coach into.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

The Leafs are better defensively. LOL

I think I just lost any respect I had for this guy.

I agree. Virtually every game this year I've slapped my forehead in the disbelief how an opponent can be so open and have such an open look at the net so often. I've attributed it to an antiquated system used by the overrated one. That's the problem with analytics, if we're better defensively this year, just how BAD were we last year???

 

[Kiwi]

I mean, I don’t think it tells us anything. Leafs coaching and management team taking in the game of the team they play next on an off day when they are in the same city anyway isn’t unusual.

That's what you would usually do, if we were about to make some serious changes I would expect the "usual" to change

 

[Erdinger]

People just assume Keefe will be the saviour. It's a terrible situation to bring a rookie head coach into.

Is Horachek available? This team has gone full circle anyway in 5 years. Saturday night sure looked like Nov. 2014

 

[Cor]

That's what you would usually do, if we were about to make some serious changes I would expect the "usual" to change

All it really says is Babcock will be coaching against Vegas.

It’s a day by day thing right now.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

People just assume Keefe will be the saviour. It's a terrible situation to bring a rookie head coach into.

I agree completely it's a straight up bad position to put a rookie coach into. Personally I'm not expecting him to be a savior, but I am expecting him to use the team to the strengths it's been built on, and deploy the lineup deservedly. He also has coached a good portion of the team before with the Marlies so that would have to be a big advantage as opposed to someone from outside the organization.

 

[Kiwi]

All it really says is Babcock will be coaching against Vegas.

It’s a day by day thing right now.

Are you sure about that? Management has had every opportunity to sack Babcock but haven't pulled the trigger

 

[egd27]

The only thing worst about their defense is the atrocious to average goaltending they've received.

It's Babcock
It's Dubas
It's Shanahan
It's Goaltending
It's the schedule

Let's see, what's left?

 

[Durrr]

I agree completely it's a straight up bad position to put a rookie coach into. Personally I'm not expecting him to be a savior, but I am expecting him to use the team to the strengths it's been built on, and deploy the lineup deservedly. He also has coached a good portion of the team before with the Marlies so that would have to be a big advantage as opposed to someone from outside the organization.

Why? People are acting like this is a team full of vets who wouldn't respond to an AHL coach, when in reality our core outside of JT is all under 25.

The biggest tragedy in hockey and pro sports in general is how shallow the talent pools in GM & coaching positions really are. These guys belong to an old boys club where the same few failed coaches/managers keep getting new opportunities to throw things at a wall and see what sticks. Let the new coach with new ideas come in and try and find common ground with a group of young players. Think about how much coaching/management talent is wasted in lesser leagues because the Caryle's, Chiarelli's and Babcock's of the world won a single cup 10-15 years ago.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

Why? People are acting like this is a team full of vets who wouldn't respond to an AHL coach, when in reality our core outside of JT is all under 25.

The biggest tragedy in hockey and pro sports in general is how shallow the talent pools in GM & coaching positions really are. These guys belong to an old boys club where the same few failed coaches/managers keep getting new opportunities to throw things at a wall and see what sticks. Let the new coach with new ideas come in and try and find common ground with a group of young players. Think about how much coaching/management talent is wasted in lesser leagues because the Caryle's, Chiarelli's and Babcock's of the world won a single cup 10-15 years ago.

I agree with that and I should clarify I love Keefe and can't wait for him to be behind the bench. However what I meant was it's a tough situation to being a first time NHL head coach in 20 games into the season in a market like this, with the expectations everyone has for this team.

I'd much rather if Babcock was fired in April and Keefe had a full camp to get prepared. Obviously that situation would be preferable even for Keefe I'm sure, but you've got to take it when you can get it.

 

[Cor]

Are you sure about that? Management has had every opportunity to sack Babcock but haven't pulled the trigger

Just because he wasn’t fired today doesn’t mean he won’t be fired tomorrow or the day after.

If there isn’t some sort of turn around soon, it’ll happen.

 

[Durrr]

I agree with that and I should clarify I love Keefe and can't wait for him to be behind the bench. However what I meant was it's a tough situation to being a first time NHL head coach in 20 games into the season in a market like this, with the expectations everyone has for this team.

I think with a team full of the sheer amount of talent and current restraints as the Leaf's, a new coach will have a very easy time giving the reigns to the players that Babcock should be, but has continuously failed to act on. Keefe can sell his new system to Matthews & Nylander, while also giving them 3-4 more minutes of ice time per night. Hard to see those guys not buying in instantly when they are finally given the freedom to produce.

Also, agreed on April.

 

[egd27]

Let the new coach with new ideas come in and try and find common ground with a group of young players.

How very democratic. Maybe we could send a small delegation from the Board to contribute to the consensus building?

 

[Durrr]

How very democratic. Maybe we could send a small delegation from the Board to contribute to the consensus building?

You mock it, but it's exactly what these young guys need. You think Matthews wouldn't instantly buy-in if given the 20-22 minutes of icetime a game he wants?

 

[biotk]

People just assume Keefe will be the saviour. It's a terrible situation to bring a rookie head coach into.

How many rookie head coaches are brought into great situations?

 

[egd27]

You mock it, but it's exactly what these young guys need. You think Matthews wouldn't instantly buy-in if given the 20-22 minutes of icetime a game he wants?

And when he decides he wants Marner and Nylander on his wings? Or he only wants Rielly and Barrie as his defensemen? Or practices should start at 11 because 10 is too early?

 

[hotpaws]

How many rookie head coaches are brought into great situations?

and if the team was playing great we wouldn't be talking about changing coach's

 

[frog]

Two things:

1. If Babcock thinks the team is too soft, Babcock has ****ing options to try and fix it. We have multiple large, grinding cycle wingers down with the Marlies, all on small enough deals that the Leafs could cycle guys like Shore, Spezza and even Trevor Moore and Timashov out and try a few of them to see if changing it up helps. He instead goes with the same lineup again and again. So insisting that Dubas is the only one to blame for the soft roster is disingenuous at best.
2. "Nobody could coach the Toronto Pokecheckers" - Anybody notice that the list of massive poke-checkers includes Jake ****ing Muzzin, who was well known for his hitting abilities prior to us trading for him and him getting here? They're not poke-checking because that's what they do; they're poke-checking because that's what the coaching staff has told them to do. Same with the dump-ins and the corner bull**** they suck at. Babcock is putting most of this team in a very poor position to succeed, and that's entirely because he's a dinosaur who refuses to see when his strategy doesn't work.

1. Who? And don't say Marchment who wasnt even good enough for Dubas to send him to pre-season training camp. If babcock wants a guy up it goes through Dubas who executes the roster transaction.

2. Do you really think coaches would tell players not to finish their checks, thats one of the dumbest conclusions (and its not just you, Ive heard that before). But seriously why would you even think that.... Maybe high risk hits that would take them out of position but no body is getting in trouble with the coach for finishing a body check... Also Muzzin still body checks, literally the only guy that can do it on this team. Its also baffling to me how people say this since Babcock developed one of the best open ice hitters of all time in Nicklas Kronwall... Dubas put together a team with guys that are uncomfortable with hitting and recieving a hit, thats why they are so submissive to bigger, meaner teams

 

[Mats13]

He’s a gud pro. Feeds his family with his 6.25 million salary.

Watches the hunting channel and listens to country music.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

and it's clearly by design, as Babcock thinks it's beautiful. Becoming significantly worse offensively for a slight defensive boost is a massive failure of a strategy

If babcock thinks these 3-2 games are so beautiful...why did we not trade one or 2 of the big $$ players? why sign them when he wants to throttle down the offense and play in the muck?

He loves Shoresy...and Timo...who to me don't do diddly out there...Timo tries to hit people but just bounces off most of them....why not get a bigger guy who can't score out there?

I guess we have not had a chance to see this skill team that Duby has put together play the way they should. Until we get to see that skill scoring on the 3rd and 4th line with Keefe as the coach... and he proves to everyone that it works...I am not going to be on the all skill bandwagon.

This is a literal case of having a Ferrari and going off roading with it because that's what you like and know.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

People just assume Keefe will be the saviour. It's a terrible situation to bring a rookie head coach into.

I actually think it would be less pressure on Keefe in a way. The team is in crisis mode when he gets named...no real time to implement systems...so he can't be faulted for that...he basically has a free pass for this year. Next year would be where people would expect him with a full off-season to come out with a system that plays to our strengths.