Maple Leafs Are Awful – Would Babcock Save Them?

When I watched the Toronto Maple Leafs get obliterated by the Nashville Predators last night by a 9-2 final, I expected the operator of the sound board to play Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” on a loop. It would have been completely appropriate considering the results on the ice lately.

The Leafs have dropped three straight now, being outscored in the last two by a score of 15-4. Fans are now jumping on the bandwagon of throwing jerseys on the ice to show their displeasure. The top fan base in the league, according to The Hockey News, is having their patience severely tested. And it’s been tested for some time as it’s been several years since the Leafs have been competitive. The last Stanley Cup was 1967.

Wasn’t Brenden Shanahan named team president to help turn this franchise around? What are his thoughts as he watches the season melt away before his eyes and raging fans tearing apart coach Randy Carlyle, the players and unfortunately April Reimer, wife of goaltender James Reimer, on Twitter.

Well, here is what the problem most likely ISN’T. Phil Kessel is going over a point per game so far. The players leading the team in plus/minus are Mike Santorelli and Dion Phaneuf (yes, THAT Dion Phaneuf!). But that may be about it.

Young defensemen Jake Gardiner seems to not be developing as he made a few glaring mistakes in last nights game. And the issues aren’t limited to the Predators if he’s a -8 so far. Nazem Kadri also came in with high hopes and isn’t progressing much under Carlyle either. Puck possession is better this year as compared to recent history according the the chart here from war-on-ice.com, but is still near the bottom of the league.

So how will Shanahan help fix this? Here are a few ideas:

1) Bye bye, Randy – Carlyle is rapidly approaching a “you’ve got to go” situation. Granted not everything that ails the Leafs is his fault. But someone takes the fall and the way sports work, the head coach is accountable before the players. I don’t actually think this happens during the season as long as the Maple Leafs can right the ship a little bit and get back to being competitive. But I believe his fate is sealed. Memo to Mike Babcock – you could make A TON OF MONEY HERE and are used to pressure in a major market. Keep an eye on that.

2) Commit to being sellers – there are good players on this team. STOP LAUGHING! And no, you aren’t trading Phaneuf for Sidney Crosby. Honestly, Phaneuf should be one of the guys kept. But the Jake Gardnier era could be coming to an end. Toronto has been plenty patient and a change of scenery could help him. And his cap number isn’t overwhelming at just over $4 million. Up front the Leafs have their top six forwards each signed for the next four years and Kadri is an RFA at the end of the season. Might be time to flip one of the forwards for blue line help or picks and prospects. Problem is Joffrey Lupul can’t stay healthy and David Clarkson signed one of the worst contracts in the last decade. Do you deal JVR? Do you deal Kessel, tear it down completely and start over? There are complex roster decisions to be made.

3) Goaltending is not your problem – so Reimer and Bernier aren’t stealing games. They aren’t exactly getting a whole ton of help from the guys in front of him. With very few exceptions, the Leafs defense has been a lot of misread plays, failed gambles and “LOOKOUT, THEY’RE COMING AGAIN!”. But this can be one of the better tandems in the league if given a little support.

Shanahan and GM Dave Nonis have a tough task ahead of them. The best solution is not to try and make a playoff push this year, evaluate the roster and find a head coach that can turn this around with a few tweaks. The blue line needs help with steady defensemen that can control the puck in their own zone and win corner battles. But I’m not sure they are as far away as it feels.

Does Mike Babcock feel the same way?