The Toronto Maple Leafs added the central figure to their future, as Stanley Cup and Olympic winning head coach Mike Babcock was introduced as the club’s 30th head coach at a press conference at Air Canada Center on Thursday.
The 52-year-old Babcock agreed to a front-loaded eight-year, $50 Million contract on Wednesday, which will pay $8 Million in the first three seasons and slightly over $5 Million in the remaining five years.
The deal does not have a opt-out clause and does not include any title other than head coach, but it is clear from the comments of Team President Brendan Shanahan that the league’s highest paid bench boss will have a say in player personnel decisions.
“In my view, whoever our head coach was going to be, I want his input and I don’t think that is a unique situation.… Shanahan said. “In all of our conversations, do we want Mike to have his fingerprints and his input…..absolutely.…
While aspects of the process that brought Babcock to Toronto and the aborted negotiations with the Buffalo Sabres were discussed, the point reiterated many times by Shanahan and the new bench boss was that the hiring would not divert the Leafs from their plans to rebuild the club and the focus of drafting and developing players.
“Mike’s questions for me(during the negotiations) were really not pushing back against the build and the vision, it was what’ve talked about here for a year.… Shanahan said. “Mike coming here was really about making sure that we’re not speeding up the process, (but)are we going to stick (with) the process?…
Babcock’s approach regarding his new club will be to strive to make things “safe… for the players by building a good team, but he indicated that acquiring the talent and assembling a team that can have success on the ice will take time and test the patience of the Leafs fan base.
"If you think there's no pain coming, there's pain coming.'' Babcock said.
Tomorrow's Toronto Sun sports cover. pic.twitter.com/Ajlf5zSCD2
— Ian Shantz (@IanShantz) May 22, 2015The real test of the Leafs management team will be to see whether they follow through with the stated plan leading up to the NHL Draft in Sunrise, FL and into early July, when core players Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak could be moved for younger players and/or draft picks.
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The Leafs added another former OHL general manager to their management team, as Saginaw Spirit GM Jim Paliafito has joined the organization as their Director of Player Evaluation. The 53-year-old was an NFL player agent before joining the Spirit as a scout in 2009 and has been their GM for the last four years.
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Shanahan indicated that former Tampa head coach Guy Boucher was seriously considered for the Leafs coaching position and may be in the mix for Mike Babcock’s staff if other NHL opportunities do not come to fruition.
Former Babcock assistant and Ottawa head coach Paul Maclean could also be in the mix, but putting together a coaching staff will be a collaborative effort between the Leafs new coach and the management group.
“We want a coach to be surrounded with people he thinks he’s going to get the best results from.… Shanahan said. “(Babcock) did not come in here with a bunch of demands and it’s not in his contract looking for words like autonomy. I think what he did was he got comfortable with the (management) group, that we are open-minded people, that we are just looking to be the best we can possibly be.…
TSN’s Bob McKenzie indicated that Wings assistant coaches Andrew Brewer and Jim Hiller may also be in consideration.
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