Of course Mike Babcock is the right coach for the Leafs, he’s the right coach for any team looking to stay on track, get on track or simply build the track.
He is the best.
I thought that should be clarified before starting today’s write-up.
So what exactly is Babcock going to do for the Leafs players? Players like Rielly who’ve had Phaneuf to look up to under Randy Carlyle; who obviously was still coaching like he had the Ducks Stanley Cup roster. Morgan has been good, but not fantastic like I was hoping he would have been by now. Mind you, that’s not all his fault, the Leafs have been putrid for the most part, and a rookie/sophomore player can only do so much out there.
So with Phaneuf still on the Leafs roster and sporting the C on his chest; Babcock is going to have to straighten out some of Dion’s weaknesses in order to stabilize his game. If Phaneuf can be more responsible on the ice in terms of keeping guys wide, playing strong in front of his own net and taking some heat off his shot to get it on net; his overall game should be improved.
Dion needs to set example on the ice for his younger defensemen to follow suit. If Babcock can work on Phaneuf’s game, there is no reason younger defenseman Morgan Rielly can’t improve his game drastically because the overall stability of the defensive core. It may sound odd that Phaneuf can improve Rielly’s game, but you have to remember this is a team game and more often than not the younger players feed off the veteran players. That is part of the reason why each team knows they need some veteran leadership on their team to help guide the young players on and off the ice. Phaneuf and Babcock will be working hard on getting a solid defensive game plan in order this season; something Carlyle was never able to solidify.
With a quality system implemented on the back end; Morgan Rielly will have his best season yet for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His production is going to go up as his power play time will increase with the removal of Franson from the Leafs lineup. Mike Babcock has coached some of the best defensemen, he knows what it takes to push the right buttons and come up with a game plan that is simple but effective; puck control. The Leafs will try to improve their overall time on the ice with the puck instead of chasing. A responsible full ice game where Babcock will have no issues what so ever sitting someone on the pine if they continue to make stupid mistakes. We saw it last year with Smith and Kindl in Detroit, and that’s just one example.
The Leafs undoubtedly will have to buy into whatever master plan Babcock and his coaching staff comes up with. Of course the Maple Leafs roster is nothing impressive other than a few select pieces, so it could be a somewhat painful season, but still exciting to watch. For one, I am excited to see Babcock behind the bench, but also any and all prospects that get a chance to shine with the big club throughout the season. Hopefully we see a few venture up as the season goes on when a handful of the one year deal players are moved for prospects or picks. Best case scenario the Leafs end up doing a lot better than we think, miss the playoffs and still manage to end up with a top 3 pick through the lottery process. This in turn would bode well as that would mean a few of the one year deal players did well and in return Toronto gathered a number of picks and or prospects.
Improving Phaneuf’s game could result in him being traded, so that there is another way of looking at the big picture. Some fans are huge Dion supporters and others want him gone for a bag of pucks, that’s the way it goes in Leafs Nation. Regardless of which way you look at it, it’s a win-win if Dion can get his game back up to snuff; whether that be for trade value or the next X number of years on his contract in Toronto.
I predict that Morgan Rielly will not only increase his overall point totals, but this will be his most improved season as a Toronto Maple Leaf and he will flourish under coach Babcock.
Now that Kessel has been shipped out of town, the likelihood of Bozak centering the top line all season is likely diminished. Nazem Kadri should, and likely will get his chance to prove himself as the Leafs best center this season. He will have the golden ticket and opportunity to shine on the top line and likely the number one power play. About time! I’ve been waiting for Kadri to step up to the plate and run away with the number one role for a couple seasons now. Nazem is a feisty center and has put on some muscle and weight since being drafted by the Leafs. He lays hits and gets in the grind along the boards much more often than Bozak. There are games when Kadri is dominant and others when he just doesn’t seem to be on his game. This is something that Babcock and his coaching staff will have to work on as they try to mould “the dream… Kadri into a number one center.
Nazem Kadri signed a one year deal with the Leafs worth 4.1 million. This is the time for Nazem to prove his worth to coach Babcock and get himself a longer term deal with likely more cash coming his way. Consistency is the only think Kadri lacks; he is a highly skilled player who is going to burst under Mr. Babcock. I predict this is the big break out year for Kadri, where his points will go up slightly, but his overall game will improve vastly under the new coaching staff.
The summer time fun is not continuing for everyone, as some of the younger Leafs prospects are already chomping at the bit. Frattin (27 years old) and Percy (22 years old) have been working hard doing conditioning around various arenas in North America.
With a revamped coaching staff to impress, there may only be one shot left for players like Frattin who have been up, down, out and in of the Leafs organization. Percy on the other hand is still very young and must want badly to catch the attention of Mike Babcock. This could be the year that Percy not only makes the team out of camp (again), but stick with the big club for the remainder of the season. His performance and dedication will soon show whether or not he is ready for the full time jump or not.
Many other rookies and prospects have been busy for Toronto as well. The rookies will get their chance to show what they have in less than a months’ time at the rookie tournament in London. I for one am very excited to see what Nylander, Kapanen, Gauthier and Marner show in terms of where they are at in their young careers.
It looks as if the Leafs will be icing a couple of undrafted OHL goalies in this tournament, leaving Bibeau, Sparks and Gibson to play in the main camp for Toronto. This is something I am fond of as I am not sure that Bernier or Reimer are the answer going forward.
In conclusion I’m a firm believer in this young Toronto team turning it around in a couple of seasons. The coaching staff and management team are all upper class winners. Especially with the new addition of assistant coach Jacques Lemaire who looks to be brought on to give his feedback to Shanahan on what he sees on the ice. Something he has been involved in before and had success. He firmly understands what he has been hired for and understands this is Babcock’s team to coach and he is there to help. With another eleven cup rings added to the management/coaching staff, it’s bound to come home to Toronto where it belongs sooner or later.
Thanks for reading, have an excellent day.