I was thinking after the first period in Chicago, if I'm Babcock I don't even enter the dressing room in between periods. Grab a bite to eat during intermission, make a phone call or two, then head back to the bench. Let the players look at each other and decide what kind of players they are. No yelling, direction or criticism, save it for practice where orders will be barked.
It's a tough league, in a competitive sport and city. As Donaldson said about the MLB unapologetically "this isn't the try hard league, this is the get it done league". Their core is young, but once their core demanded pay for performance and success, they accept all the pressure.
In fairness. Leafs have not addressed their D since the time Carlyle was here. You would think it would have been a primary focus. Now with no cap room, it's exponentially more difficult and team D takes on a new meaning. Dubas has made some decent tweaks, and thus far Barrie has not found his groove, we must remember Karlsson also struggled for some time in SJ, but, they needed some stay at home D men. Nothing flashy, just solid, average players.
They have the talent. I still believe their best is yet to come, with age, experience and the like. However, it's tough to have confidence in this group.
