Pre-Game Talk: Leafs @ Flames Nov 28 9pm ET

[Rogie]

I've seen enough of Babcock already to know that he isn't a good coach. I think he's good in some areas, but horrible in other areas (line combos, roster choices, excessive line matching, etc.)

I personally think we should just fire him now. I think it will be very difficult to win with him if he doesn't change (and he's really stubborn, so I'm not sure he'll make the changes needed).

I think with a better coach we could have at least won a playoff round last year. This year, we should be cup condensers with this roster. I think we have the best forwards in the NHL... and our goalie is playing amazing right now. I just don't feel like we're really clicking due to poor roster choices and line combos.

If I were in charge, I would just fire him now and look for a coach we can actually win with. I don't want to go 3 or 4 years without a cup before everyone realizes that Babcock is holding the team back. We have the potential to be so much better. Obviously we're still good. Obviously we're still going to make the playoffs. I think we can still win a round or two. But I think we would have a much better chance at the cup with a coach who is using all our players optimally.

The big question is how many years are we willing to waste before we realize that Babcock isn't actually a good coach? We have a great team and we will have success despite Babcock... but I think we would be a much better team with any other NHL coach.

This is funny! It's sarcasm right! It has to be doesn't it!

I actually thought you were going to say, we should have at least won the cup last year - not just one round.
Oh, and, we should definitely win a cup within 3 or 4 years too - riiiiiight!

Funny funny post.

 

[PuckMagi]

oh god. Did we by any chance make the playoffs last year with a team that had no business making it? What about his 3? Stanley cups? Or 3 Gold medals. Or taking the ducks to the finals? I guess all this winning is just luck. I mean the ducks where an amazing team before he got there right, same with detroit. Winning is overrated anyways.

Every where this guy goes his teams win.... but hey whatever. We should just fire him now because even though we just won 6 games in a row recently he obviously is not a good coach.... If only we could find someone that knows how to win goddamit

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full Pejorative Slur and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-Pejorative Slured coach.

 

[Mikeyg]

Two things. You have to be fair to Brown. He's putting the puck into the net regardless of the line he plays on. Maybe he'll continue on the same line from last year.

The other things is Matthews, he has not been dominant like he was a certain points earlier in the season. Every shift, his line was always a threat to score and we have not seen that lately. To be dominant, they need all three guys going on that line. Maybe the coach wants to see Matthews' line be dominant again, as that could win the game by itself.

Usually you're pretty good, but I disagree with most of this. First of all, im not dissing brown, hes a good player but it is undeniable that his talent isn't anywhere close to nylander's, so don't tell me that i'm not being fair to brown. Will he set up matthews more than nylander will, and will he score more than nylander given the matthews setups? 9/10 games the answer is no to both. Now this is also aside from the fact that matthews and nylander were both worse off last year when playing apart versus together. The brown matthews hyman line hardly produced at all last year.

Then in regard to your second paragraph, taking nylander away does the opposite of what you are trying to prevent....... matthews and brown together with hyman would mean that matthews is going to have to shoot more and be more of a 1 shot scorer. The set up potential is undeniably worse. Will that line have a more dominant cycle? probably. But they wont be more dominant on the scoresheet. The line becomes much less dynamic and much more 1 dimensional without 29 on it.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Babcock stopped practice so Komarov and Kadri could finally race to see who the faster skater is - Article - BARDOWN

 

[Polaris1010]

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

Cannot remember everything, but lets mention Ron Wilson and Randy Carlyle.

Wilson has been a coach in the Stanley Cup finals at least once but did not win, like Carlyle did once, and like Babcock as you stated.

The point being, these guys have won at every level they worked at. Not everyone can do that, such as Peter Horacheck of his Give-A-Sh---Meter fame, praise, praise! Praise that Meter!

Carlyle said it best, when he told those vultures reporters how it works.

How it works is they give you the players and you coach them up. Carlyle does not go out and get the players he wanted. Of course, a couple weeks later, he gets canned.

 

[BertCorbeau]

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full ****** and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-******ed coach.

The rest of your post loses all credibility when you make this statement.

 

[Polaris1010]

Babcock stopped practice so Komarov and Kadri could finally race to see who the faster skater is - Article - BARDOWN

So Kamarov has not lost a step.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Bozak will play under 7 minutes ES against the Oilers, especially with them running McDavid, Draisaitl and RNHL on separate lines.

Unless there is a ton of penalties it's almost a certainty that Bozak will play over 7 ES minutes. That's less then half his average ice time. Let's keep our comments based in reality.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Babcock stopped practice so Komarov and Kadri could finally race to see who the faster skater is - Article - BARDOWN

I'm going to miss Leo when he's gone, even if he's not in the plans long term, he's such a character.

 

[stickty111]

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full ****** and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-******ed coach.

Keep up the terrible work bud.

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full ****** and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-******ed coach.

He has one Cup. To one cup with that core is a huge accomplishment. Also, any coach could not coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he isnt a perfect coach, but the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it like he has, you're gonna have a great time

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a bad coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very good coach.

we're doing well in the standings. we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think its great. we've been winning with his completely smart decisions... This is going to be good enough to win a cup. We can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage, every team plays like garbage at some point. ... that's going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to praise the coach People praise Gardiner, Andersen, etc. when they deserve it and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you praise the coach, you get people saying "Babcrap?

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is not an idiot. He is not perfect, so maybe you stop expecting perfection from him. If your looking for a coach that is always great, and gives out the best ice time in every game, than you will look for a long time.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock had the team playing the best hockey they have since the Quinn Era in the first season. Now, we all said yeah but he finished last. because we had no talent. In fact, many of us hoped he would instill a good system which he did. When Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they play solid hockey. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. He instilled a culture that we hadn’t had in a long time but after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, Babcock's coaching got us into the playoffs. We also were in every game against an elite team. Credit to Babcock

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy, when it wasn’t. He just didn’t have any other talent. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. Blame management for signing Martin in the first place. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. Like who? Nylander? Guathier{who is not even an NHL player} When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. You do realize Babcock isn’t in charge of call ups right. I thought this team was basically idiot proof but it looks like a few fans still are. I thought it would be impossible to make the playoffs with this roster with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to get us into the playoffs. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he chose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Marleau is a better player than Brown, maybe thats why? Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock is awesome. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well as a result of his great coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot worse with any other coach.

 

[GardinerTheForward]

The rest of your post loses all credibility when you make this statement.

he's obviously being exaggerating
... unless there is something i don't get so please explain it then. Still almost getting knocked out by Latvia does not bode well for Babcock's rep

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

he's obviously being exaggerating
... unless there is something i don't get so please explain it then. Still almost getting knocked out by Latvia does not bode well for Babcock's rep

What makes single elimination in hockey so exciting is anything can happen. That game doesn’t reflect badly on anyone. The Latvians has great goaltending and the defenders were fooled by the Latvians best player sneaking off the bench and getting a breakaway.

 

[MJ65]

Leafs haven't played to the level that was expected and are still in a very comfortable position - imagine if they can play up to their potential they would be so much better. I really hope this team can fix their weaknesses and play a complete game from start to the end

 

[Damisoph]

I love it when people complain that their stupid f***ing posts get called out. Yes you're allowed to post any ass backwards opinion you may have, just as we're allowed to call it out for what it is, f***ing stupid.

GLG

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

This is funny! It's sarcasm right! It has to be doesn't it!

I actually thought you were going to say, we should have at least won the cup last year - not just one round.
Oh, and, we should definitely win a cup within 3 or 4 years too - riiiiiight!

Funny funny post.

We SHOULD win a cup in 3 or 4 years

 

[Gary Nylund]

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full ****** and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-******ed coach.

I wouldn't say Babcock is a bad coach, quite the opposite actually. You do raise some good points though, at least I feel it's completely understandable to question some of his decisions.

The rest of your post loses all credibility when you make this statement.

Oh I don't know about that. There are never any guarantees but I think Team Canada would have been the favourite with pretty much anyone behind the bench.

I'm going to miss Leo when he's gone, even if he's not in the plans long term, he's such a character.

Me too!

Leafs haven't played to the level that was expected and are still in a very comfortable position - imagine if they can play up to their potential they would be so much better. I really hope this team can fix their weaknesses and play a complete game from start to the end

I hope so too!

We SHOULD win a cup in 3 or 4 years

LOL no. The cup is hard to win. We should be in the mix though and if we're not considered one of the top contenders 3-4 years from now, then I'd say something has gone wrong because that's the trajectory we're on for sure.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I wouldn't say Babcock is a bad coach, quite the opposite actually. You do raise some good points though, at least I feel it's completely understandable to question some of his decisions.



Oh I don't know about that. There are never any guarantees but I think Team Canada would have been the favourite with pretty much anyone behind the bench.



Me too!



I hope so too!



LOL no. The cup is hard to win. We should be in the mix though and if we're not considered one of the top contenders 3-4 years from now, then I'd say something has gone wrong because that's the trajectory we're on for sure.

No, I expect to see them win it, I really do, but then again I am one of the few that thinks they are a a contender now, I mean some things would have to break right for them to do it , but honestly who in the est, other than Tampa are you worried about?

I suspect your answer would be the pens but even they are not performing at the level they normally do, the east as a whole is pretty bad there isn't a team in the east, besides Tampa that I don't think we can beat, I'd favour the Leafs in almost any series that they could play in.

Tampa is it, Tampa is the one team i see the Leafs as an underdog against at least as far as the east goes.

I think if you call up Pickard and bring in a guy like Chara to help solidify the D this team can go far

 

[Gary Nylund]

No, I expect to see them win it, I really do, but then again I am one of the few that thinks they are a a contender now, I mean some things would have to break right for them to do it , but honestly who in the est, other than Tampa are you worried about?

I suspect your answer would be the pens but even they are not performing at the level they normally do, the east as a whole is pretty bad there isn't a team in the east, besides Tampa that I don't think we can beat, I'd favour the Leafs in almost any series that they could play in.

Tampa is it, Tampa is the one team i see the Leafs as an underdog against at least as far as the east goes.

I think if you call up Pickard and bring in a guy like Chara to help solidify the D this team can go far

There's a number of teams in the East that would tough opponents for us. And if we're contenders now, so are at least a dozen other teams.

 

[ToneDog]

Leafs haven't played to the level that was expected and are still in a very comfortable position - imagine if they can play up to their potential they would be so much better. I really hope this team can fix their weaknesses and play a complete game from start to the end

And some of the credit has to go to Babs.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

There's a number of teams in the East that would tough opponents for us. And if we're contenders now, so are at least a dozen other teams.

a dozen teams? who are these dozen teams as good as Toronto I can think of 6

 

[al secord]

He only has one Cup. To only win one cup with that core isn't exactly a huge accomplishment. Also, any idiot could coach a stacked team Canada to victory.

I'm not saying that he was never a good coach though. But the game changes and evolves. And if you don't change and evolve with it, you're gonna have a bad time.

All I can say is that, right now, my impression of him is that he isn't a good coach. I will go so far as to say he's actually a very bad coach.

Ya, we're doing well in the standings. Ya, we just had a 6 game win streak recently. But that's called being results oriented. I'm looking at his coaching objectively and I think it sucks. Ya, we've been winning despite his completely illogical decisions... but my concern is that this isn't going to be good enough to win a cup. Ya, we can beat teams like Carolina while playing like garbage... but that's not going to be good enough when we start going deep into the playoffs.

Also... are we not allowed to dislike Babcock? People rip on Gardiner, Andersen, etc. and that's all considered fair game. Yet when you rip on the coach, you get people saying "you drunk?"

His decisions with respect to the line combos, roster choices, ice time, etc. are borderline insane. Why is Hyman playing as much as Matthews? Why is Hyman playing MORE than Nylander, Kadri, etc. ? Why is Hyman playing in OT and late in the game when we're down a goal? He's stuck in the past with Martin the fighter. Let's guys like Leivo rot on the bench despite putting up good NHL numbers when given the chance. Sorry, but the guy is an idiot. I've seen enough already. There's just too many examples of him making horrible decisions.

Also, let's not forget that Babcock finished dead last in his first year of coaching here. Now, we all gave him a pass because we were tanking. In fact, many of us hoped he was coaching poorly on purpose. But when Babcock came here, all we heard was how he loved to win and hated to lose. So I think if you go back to that first year, I don't think Babcock was trying to tank. He was actually trying to win. That's what happens when Babcock coaches a bad team... they finish dead last. We all thought that his attempt at brilliant coaching was really just him trying to tank... but Babcock wasn't trying to tank. But after we got Matthews and brought up all our good players, not even Babcock's piss poor coaching could keep us out of the playoffs.

In Babcock's first year, he got a pass for putting a 4th liner on the top line. We all thought that was just his tanking strategy. But that was him just being himself and trying to win. Now... this year... we all rejoiced when we signed Marleau because we knew that would bump Hyman out of the top 9. But Babcock goes full ****** and starts putting Brown, Nylander, Marner, etc. on the 4th line instead. When we have depth like Leivo and Kapanen... we still use Martin. When there are plenty of options at center... we still use Moore. When we could use Dermott and get a huge upgrade to our defense, we use Polak instead. I thought this team was basically idiot proof. I thought it would be impossible to ice a bad team with this roster. But Babcock finds a way to ice 4 bad lines despite being overloaded with talent. The most successful line overall last year I think was Komarov - Kadri - Brown... and that was the only line he choose to mess with when we got Marleau. Kadri had 30 goals, Brown had 20... and they did a great job up against top competition. Why does he ruin that line to keep JVR - Bozak - Marner? We all knew that line had defensive problems. Why doesn't Babcock see it? Anyways... rant over. Babcock sucks. Thankfully, our team is so damn good this year that we're still doing really well despite his horrible coaching. I just know that we could be a whole lot better with a non-******ed coach.

Kudos to you for doubling down. For your sake, I hope it's poorly written satire.

 

[MapleLeafistan]

What a time to be a Leafs fan..

2 years ago we had Matthias, Boyes and Grabner in our top 9.

The days.

Remember Tim Brent? Garnet Exelby?

 

[Joedoggy]

I've seen enough of Babcock already to know that he isn't a good coach. I think he's good in some areas, but horrible in other areas (line combos, roster choices, excessive line matching, etc.)

I personally think we should just fire him now. I think it will be very difficult to win with him if he doesn't change (and he's really stubborn, so I'm not sure he'll make the changes needed).

I think with a better coach we could have at least won a playoff round last year. This year, we should be cup condensers with this roster. I think we have the best forwards in the NHL... and our goalie is playing amazing right now. I just don't feel like we're really clicking due to poor roster choices and line combos.

If I were in charge, I would just fire him now and look for a coach we can actually win with. I don't want to go 3 or 4 years without a cup before everyone realizes that Babcock is holding the team back. We have the potential to be so much better. Obviously we're still good. Obviously we're still going to make the playoffs. I think we can still win a round or two. But I think we would have a much better chance at the cup with a coach who is using all our players optimally.

The big question is how many years are we willing to waste before we realize that Babcock isn't actually a good coach? We have a great team and we will have success despite Babcock... but I think we would be a much better team with any other NHL coach.

Even a blind squirrel(you) can find a nut, Badcock knows his hockey (tho he is trying to reinvent the game)His problem is not knowing the X and O's of the game, his problem is he thinks he knows more than everyone else and destroys personnel from within. There is no doubt in my mind this young group is catching on to his antics like players in Detroit did. Look at the bench as the camera pans(lifeless). He will destroy players to prove others he favours are the proper choice appointing stupid amounts of TOI because he can and is the coach. The players he does this to are generally soft yet hard working players that shouldn't be in the position he is giving them. Players who have clawed out good careers will not get used because he did not build them but he does not mind using what they bring(just limiting such) Lastly Mr. Magi..Kap/Leivo/Sosh are not nhl players so give it up.

 

[Gary Nylund]

a dozen teams? who are these dozen teams as good as Toronto I can think of 6

Read my post again, I didn't say there were a dozen teams as good as we are. It sounds like you want to say the contenders are Toronto and every team better than us. Sorry but I just don't see the logic in that.

 

[stickty111]

Even a blind squirrel(you) can find a nut, Badcock knows his hockey (tho he is trying to reinvent the game)His problem is not knowing the X and O's of the game, his problem is he thinks he knows more than everyone else and destroys personnel from within. There is no doubt in my mind this young group is catching on to his antics like players in Detroit did. Look at the bench as the camera pans(lifeless). He will destroy players to prove others he favours are the proper choice appointing stupid amounts of TOI because he can and is the coach. The players he does this to are generally soft yet hard working players that shouldn't be in the position he is giving them. Players who have clawed out good careers will not get used because he did not build them but he does not mind using what they bring(just limiting such) Lastly Mr. Magi..Kap/Leivo/Sosh are not nhl players so give it up.

You just lost all credibility with that last sentence all though your entire post is false.
Lol at destroying players.