Toronto Maple Leafs: Mike Babcock’s tenure reaches crucial point
Mike Babcock is only halfway through his eight-year contract as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but some doubt might be starting to creep in.
The Toronto Sun‘s Steve Simmons made a comment at the weekend, about how to handle the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ captaincy situation. He wrote that if the front office is convinced Mike Babcock will be their coach for the long-term, then John Tavares or Morgan Rielly should be named captain.
This comes from the widely held belief that Tavares and Rielly are “Babcock guys”. However, if the coach is not going to be in Toronto for much longer, Simmons suggests you wait until he has left and then bestow Auston Matthews with the honor of being team captain.
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If we go with this rationale, then it seems clear you go with the former option. After all, the thinking is that Babcock isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The 2007-08 Stanley Cup-winning coach is only halfway through an eight-year contract which he has intimated he wants to complete. In addition, we’re talking about one of the most highly respected people in his position in the NHL.
You don’t imagine Babcock is leaving Toronto anytime soon. And yet, you can make at least some degree of an argument that he has reached a crucial point of his tenure with the Leafs.
When the Manitouwadge, Ontario native first arrived, it was widely accepted that the team was undertaking a major rebuild. This essentially meant that fans would have to deal with a fair amount of losing.
This was certainly the case during that initial season when the Leafs finished at the bottom of the standings. However, they then went on to secure the first overall draft pick and used this to select Matthews.
As a result of this and other key moves, the Buds found themselves improving quicker than originally projected. This resulted in a return to the playoffs just one season later, where they gave a valiant effort in the first round against a Washington Capitals team which won the President’s Trophy.
This was followed by a record-breaking 2017-18 campaign, where the Toronto Maple Leafs set a franchise record for wins and points. Unfortunately for them, they once again went out in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the hated Boston Bruins.
Last season saw a similar outcome, with the team once again falling to the Bruins in the opening round. As such, it is the failure to advance in the playoffs which has some critics questioning Babcock.
More specifically, the criticism includes the 56-year-old’s apparent stubbornness when it comes to his players. Whether you’re a favorite or not, you allegedly need to do quite a lot to chance his opinion of you.
This stubbornness seemingly extends to how much Babcock chooses to utilize Matthews. Despite being a generational talent, the youngster has only averaged just over 18 minutes of ice time per game during his three seasons in Toronto.
Matthews would understandably like to be over the 20-minute mark. This has led to frustration and some alleged behind the door criticism of how his coach is using him.
Which brings us back full circle to Simmons’ suggestion about what it would take for Matthews to be named Leafs’ captain. But how realistic is it to expect Babcock to actually be fired as coach before his contract has expired?
In truth, it’s going to take an awful lot to see this scenario become a reality, no matter how frustrated Toronto’s star center may or may not be. No player is bigger than the team, especially in a professional sport such as hockey.
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Regardless, this doesn’t change the belief that the 2019-20 campaign will be a crucial one for Babcock. And if his team should suffer another first round playoff exit (or worse), then you may find his secure grip as Leafs’ coach ever so slightly start to loosen.
What’s your take on Babcock’s position as Toronto Maple Leafs coach? Are you confident he will remain for the long-term, or do you believe there is a genuine chance he won’t see out his eight-year contract? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.