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After a successful season in which the Toronto Maple Leafs made the post-season and Auston Matthews becomes the first player in over 50 years to win the Calder Trophy, you would think that Mike Babcock would say the ‘pain’ that he warned about in his inaugural press conference more than two years ago was over, but the Leafs head coach does not believe that.
“I wouldn’t say that (the pain is over). I coached a lots of good teams in Detroit. We had 124 points, fifth best of all-time and we lost in the first round of the playoffs.… Babcock said. “There’s lot of things that can happen. There is no guaranteed success.…
The Leafs bench boss appears determined to not let complacency seep into the locker room and continues to ask for more effort from his young group.
Toronto has three pre-season games remaining, Wednesday night against Montreal and a home-and-home against Detroit on Friday and Saturday.
Defenseman Roman Polak has not played in any of the five pre-season games and the chances of the 31-year-old blueliner seeing action in the last three pre-season games is slim.
The 31-year-old defenseman has not been cleared to participate in games and the Leafs head coach continues to touch base with the rugged defenseman to monitor his progress and see when he is ready to see game action.
“I talked to (Polak) today, he’s not ready for tomorrow (vs. Montreal in Quebec City), but he looks like he is moving ahead.… Babcock said on Tuesday.
The situation with Polak appears to not be ‘if’ the Leafs re-sign him, but ‘when’. It is possible that the club will keep him on a tryout basis into the regular season, which does not count towards the 50 professional contract limit.
It would also allow him to play with the AHL Toronto Marlies on a PTO, as goaltender Karri Ramo did last December while recuperating from off-season knee surgery.
Polak is trusted by the Leafs brain trust and is much better suited for a bottom pairing role or even as a seventh defenseman than the undependable Martin Marincin.
— steph (@myregularface) September 26, 2017
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed former Leaf defenseman Frankie Corrado on waivers on Tuesday. The 24-year-old blueliner played two games for the Leafs last season and spent numerous weeks in the press box as a healthy scratch, much to the chagrin of small and devoted following.
Corrado was moved to the Penguins at the deadline that brought Eric Fehr and a 2017 fourth round pick back to the Leafs and played 17 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Another former Leaf and Penguin farmhand is also in the news, as former Toronto first rounder Tyler Biggs will be attending the AHL Utica Comets training camp on an invite.
The 24-year-old Biggs was selected 22nd overall in 2011, after GM Brian Burke traded a high second round pick and the last pick in the first round to Anaheim to select the big winger. Biggs never played a game for the Leafs and was included in the Phil Kessel deal in 2015.
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