News Article: Babcock: Matthews “should be right around the 19 minute mark”

[MyBudJT]

Why not? Forget all forwards, 20 Centers alone played 20+ minutes a night in the 2018/19 season. Some of the best in the game.

McDavid, MacKinnon, Kopitar, Couturier, Barkov all 22+

Mind you, most are playing 3:30+ on the PP, low fatigue minutes, something Babcock still refuses to do. Marner, Matthews, Tavares, Rielly etc. should all be playing roughly 1:30 of each PP.

Give the 2nd unit 30 or so seconds in mop up duty.

Because there is no point. It would be more wise to have them available at their peak self every in May and June.

Also, we were the least penalized team in the league. You don’t think that factors into the lack of PP oops?

 

[ToDavid]

On a game-to-game basis I don't really have a problem with this. As long as it's actually coming from some sports science and not just good ol' Babcock intuition.

When the season is literally on the line I do have a serious problem with this. That's Babcock's issue, he seems to lack the ability to adapt in game.

 

[Peasy]

19 is fine.

But I still think his season TOI will end up below 19 mins.

 

[Cleetus]

I just hope Auston can stay healthy, id love to see what he would put up point wise.... 20 min is fine in the regular season, playoffs I want them on as much as they can handle...

 

[Go4soda]

I have no problem with Babcock’s comments on Matthews here. 19 may be the right number for him for the most part.
It’s his rigidity in how he deploys players, and unwillingness to step outside the box in extreme situations.

 

[Dough72]

it's nothing to do with being "stubborn" if he could play Matthews 60 minutes he would every single game

 

[robertmac43]

This is all fine by me. Just make sure in the last 6ish minutes of an important game they stars are getting out there as much as possible

 

[I am Canadian]

20/20/14/6

 

[moon111]

Big news flash here. Coach expects players who are on for more goals against then for need to constantly improve to earn more ice-time, while fans only concern is offensive numbers. Maybe it due to the Leafs have been talent-starved for so long, but seriously, talent alone doesn't win Cups. A group of players with limited 'talent' playing right, as a team, will often knock off more capable teams.

 

[Seras]

The goal in the regular season is to make the playoffs. Babcock can divvy up the minutes as he sees fit. If Leafs don’t make the playoffs Babcock is gone.
In the playoffs the ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup. That’s when your stars earn their contracts. If Babcock doesn’t ride these horses and Leafs fail to make the 2nd round he’s gone. He controls his own fate. I certainly hope he’s not that stubborn.

I hope to play a team that isn't better than us for once, it will be tough considering the division.

 

[Havoc]

Aho averages 20 bro

how does he figure matthews works best at 19. Round 1 losses helped conclude this?

 

[zeke]

I love how babs is so "for sure" that something he has never tried won't work.

 

[zeke]

Babcock only won one cup.

Zetts 22:04
Dats 21:03
Lidstrom 26:43

 

[baton elevated]

Perhaps Babs has been keeping AM's ice time low for a reason. That reason is conditioning. AM has all the talent in the world but is nowhere at the top of his craft in this department. numerous times we have seen him gasping and gassed hunched over at the bench after a shift. In year one he was backchecking like a maniac and succeeding but not so much the last year and a half.
He needs to step up that conditioning to parallel the talent. A good off season stint with Mr. Gary Roberts should do the trick.

 

[Havoc]

something different ...

Matthews, Tavares, and Andersen had 2 games (6 & 7) to bury the Bruins and couldn't get it done, they need to step up in the big games when the season is on the line ...

Matthews showed up huge in the third period of game 6. All signs pointed to him and Rielly tying that game up until Babcock killed the momentum and took him off for Marleau. Didn't someone post that Matthews looked frustrated because he was being called off? I just remember being in the GDT and everyone was suddenly pissed because Marleau was being put on for Matthews.


I'm okay with Matthews averaging 19 as long as he's given 22+ in elimination / big games. Even Stamkos and Kucherov play 16 minutes in some games so it's understandable if the big minutes are not always there. The players are human.

 

[54thecup]

I love how babs is so "for sure" that something he has never tried won't work.

What do you think Dubas's position is on ice time utilization for Matthews?

 

[Marshy]

I love how babs is so "for sure" that something he has never tried won't work.

Doing something different might succeed and render your previous strategy and gamesmanship a coaching failure.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

If this happens during the playoffs

Of course, as others have said, you'd hope Babs leaves the door open to bumping Matthews and Tavares up to the 22-23-minute mark in playoff and other must-win games.

I'll take 19-20 average all season long but you better load up when its needed and push them in the playoffs.

If Babcock doesn’t ride these horses and Leafs fail to make the 2nd round he’s gone. He controls his own fate. I certainly hope he’s not that stubborn.

"If" Babcock doesn't up their minutes in the playoffs? I appretiate the optimism but we are well past "if."

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I'm pretty sure Babcock is unsure of his lines at this point and time and he is just giving a safe answer, but haters gotta hate no matter what

If Babcock is unsure, why not say that instead of telling everyone Matthews will get ~19 minutes of ice time?

 

[Scoogs]

This man is stifling the growth and potential of this roster

 

[Leafy Undergrowth]

Regular season: fine

Game 7 when losing: time to find a new coach

 

[Torontonian]

Classic Egocock!

 

[zeke]

Perhaps Babs has been keeping AM's ice time low for a reason. That reason is conditioning.

Then you must believe that Tavares Marner and Rielly all have poor conditioning too.

 

[Hclass47]

Babs has gone on the record before saying the regular season and toi depended on games scores. If they were up they would spread the opportunities and give everyone more minutes. If they were down and pressing then he would lean on the top lines more.

As for the game 7 minutes Babs is on record saying he felt like the game was getting away . Meaning did they have a chance at winning? why double shift when all you end up doing is making those lines less productive due to fatigue? For those who have played hockey can understand this. Whether it’s beer league or jr double shifting Takes it’s tole.

 

[dimi78]

I think that's fine, but in big games a coach should load up the minutes of his top guys. I don't care if he plays 18 minutes in a game in mid Feb. I care if he plays a lot in a big playoff game in April/May/June. Your horses have to play lots of minutes in big games. Depth gets you through an 82 game schedule, your stars win you the cup. If your stars play like 18-19 minutes in a game 7, the same as they would in some game in the middle of the season, that doesn't make any sense.

Minutes get distributed based on how they're playing on a game by game basis not base on status of a player.

No stars don't win you cups teams do. It's the teams who's better player that adopt a blue color short shift approach putting there compete a head of there skill that end up going places in the playoffs. Setting that standard that the extra minuets are earned on merit of compete is not what good coaches do but great coaches do.