Did Babcock have it right to begin with?

[96]

But the Leafs might win the President's Trophy though...

Dubas after leafs win Prez: : “obviously being eliminated in the first round is upsetting, but we’ve made significant progress here and I believe in this group”

 

[Pookie]

Babs had it right. He just didn’t have the horses or respect

keefes system needs skilled players. What both he and Dubas are learning is that skill alone will not win.

Dubas has now realized the balance required to win.

Really a hybrid of the 2 is the answer

Here’s an open question.

Does Keefe actually have a system?

One the players buy into and adapts game in, game out? Period in, period out?

Or does he just do what Matthews wants?

 

[TakeTheBody]

Not at all.

 

[wingman75]

Babcock absolutely knew what he had... however, his insistance of being inflexible and doing things his way was not the answer. Sometimes knowing what the situation is doesn't mean you are the one to fix the situation, and that was extremely evident with old Mikey. He was what we needed for the time he was here, but should have been let go a little sooner than he was... but hiring him and firing him were both the right decisions.

Keefe's system is posession... and only possession. We saw how that can break down in the playoffs, so the answer as others have noted is to have your go to, which can be posession, but you need a fallback that you are also comfortable with... could be dump and chase or whatever works for your particular roster. Tampa is a perfect example of that, and I think Toronto is on the right track to have a flexible lineup that can have success in playing multiple game styles.

 

[koyvoo]

No, not necessarily. But some of the things he said cryptically about this young, star core absolutely make sense a few years later, and definitely have some merit to them.