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It’s time for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mike Babcock to part ways

By Dave Stevenson

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 23: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock taels to the media after Game 7 of the 2019 First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 23, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 23: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock taels to the media after Game 7 of the 2019 First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 23, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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For the third straight season under head coach Mike Babcock, the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t get out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s time for them to part ways.

In 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired head coach Mike Babcock to take their team to the next level. On one hand, he has taken the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last three seasons. But on the other, Babcock wasn’t given the richest contract ever given to a head coach to simply take his team to the postseason. He was paid that much to bring home a Stanley Cup.

Yet, Babcock’s Leafs have yet to get out of the first round. And he has a lot to do with that. It’s easy to point the finger at Nazem Kadri who has been suspended in each of the past two postseasons. However, Babcock’s being paid to get the most of his players. It’s hard to say he’s doing this right now.

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Last year, Kadri’s loss was a legitimate excuse. The Leafs lost their second best center. This year, though, Babcock had Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Kadri as his disposal. Even during the regular season, the Leafs weren’t as dominant as they should have been because of his inability to utilize them correctly.

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Babcock couldn’t find a way to get Tavares and Matthews away from Patrice Bergeron‘s line, even at home. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, as he’s objectively one of the worst coaches in the NHL at matching lines.

In Game 7, the Leafs were completely outplayed, losing 5-1. The players deserve a healthy portion of the blame for this. However, Babcock simply didn’t have the right mentality. Matthews only played 18 minutes. In the third period, with the Leafs down just 3-1 for most of it, he only played 6:16. What has Babcock saving his young star center for? Game 8?

Babcock’s team needed a spark and he refused to shorten his bench to give Matthews, who was arguably his best player in the series, more playing time. That’s flat out unacceptable. If you get your best players on the ice and they fail, that’s one thing. Stubbornly refusing to give them a chance is quite another.

People believe Babcock is one of the best coaches in the NHL. However, what has he done recently to justify this title? The best coaches get the most out of their players and find ways to make them more than just a sum of their parts. Babcock hasn’t done that.

When’s the last time a team coached by him overachieved? You could argue 2017, but keep in mind he also had three rookies (Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander) who pushed for the Calder Trophy.

Over the past two seasons, Babcock hasn’t gotten more talented teams to overachieve. Granted, part of this is due to heightened expectations. However, the Maple Leafs have seemed to be slightly less than a sum of their parts over the past two seasons. That’s on Babcock.

Looking at his history, he’s only won one Stanley Cup back in 2008. This was back when he had Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Henrik Zetterberg as his best players. Not to mention Brian Rafalski, Jiri Hudler, and Dominik Hasek (albeit in a backup goalie role).

Since then, Babcock has only taken his team out of the first round three times despite having the skill advantage each time. 2013 was the last time a team coached by him got out of the first round.

There’s also the issue of the relationship between Kyle Dubas and Babcock. The former is more analytically minded while the latter is old school. Babcock might be a good coach, but if he can’t optimize the roster Dubas provides him with, he’s not the right coach. Which is all that matters in the NHL.

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The Leafs are already going to have a busy summer. Mitch Marner’s next contract must be negotiated. Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen need new ones as well. The Leafs also have to find a viable backup goaltender. Moving on from Babcock would make Toronto’s offseason even more difficult, but it would be worth it.

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