Should Mike Babcock be fired if the Leafs lose in Game 7?

[TSN Jdog]

This will be his 3rd straight 1st round exit. Is this cause for concern?

Would Sheldon Keefe be better suited for this team?

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[CRDragon]

Yea fire him lol

 

[Highmarker]

It's a cop out. Babcock is a good coach imo.

 

[TSN Jdog]

It's a cop out. Babcock is a good coach imo.

What if there was another embarrassing first round exit? We just missed a great cap window with Matthews/Marner

 

[Highmarker]

What if there was another embarrassing first round exit? We just missed a great cap window with Matthews/Marner

There is no shame in going 7 with Boston year after year they are a hell of a team. And losing to Washington in 7 isn't embarrassing either. I'd chalk it up to extremely tough first round opponents rather than poor coaching.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I think, he could be good for Edmonton... and for a lot of other NHL teams.

 

[CraigsList]

Lol no.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Idk boston is a tough matchup/draw for toronto. Kinda just unlucky that boston is in their way

 

[Taluss]

Depends how they play tn. If they look awful and unmotivated I'd consider it.

 

[jetsforever]

The only reason why I'd think that was a good idea is if we immediately fired Maurice and scooped up Babcock.

 

[Nizdizzle]

There is no shame in going 7 with Boston year after year they are a hell of a team. And losing to Washington in 7 isn't embarrassing either. I'd chalk it up to extremely tough first round opponents rather than poor coaching.

This exactly.

If the Leafs don't come out with the win tonight, there will be a lot of hot takes and vitriol about the Leafs choking in the 1st round repeatedly. Its important to remember that this and the previous two years the Leafs have faced a better (points in reg season) and more playoff experienced team. Not to say that they should get a write off for losing, but make no mistake they were the underdogs in each and every season, this one being the closest.

I'm personally on the fence about Babcock. He obviously has a reputation as a great coach, and he has some strong results with the roster.... but sometimes you just think the roster could be doing more with the talent it has. However, basing a coaching decision based on 1 game (win or loss tonight) or even a single series is a huge mistake. If you can look at Babcock's season coaching the Leafs this year, and think that he needs to be replaced, that is understandable. You can't just look at a tiny sample.

 

[bobholly39]

OP asks: "is this cause for concern?". The answer is unanimously yes. It IS cause for concern if they lose again. At some point you have to win. Even if Boston is really good.

But - i wouldnt fire him yet. Give him one more chance next year. Unless theres some sort of bad dynamics or bad blood with coach/players that we dont know about that warrants an immediate change

 

[Patmac40]

The Leafs are in game 7 against the team that was tied for 2nd overall in the league and the Leafs have been the better team at 5-on-5 for the majority of the series. There's no reason to can Babcock because of this. However, there are definitely things I'd like to see Babcock do this game but I doubt they'd be fireable offenses.

Special teams coaches on the other hand...

 

[bert]

No, its not like they are losing to a team they are way better than. They are a young team it will come.

 

[gamer1035]

Fire him

 

[Mickey Marner]

What if there was another embarrassing first round exit? We just missed a great cap window with Matthews/Marner

There isn't anything embarrassing about how this series has gone.

 

[PuckSeparator]

It sucks to keep losing to the same team (if Leafs lose), but hard to fathom that Babcock has overall done a poor job. If anything, given how things were supposed to progress in Toronto, Babcock has them ahead of where they needed to be. No way he gets canned.

 

[garyturner3]

Maybe wait until the Leafs lose a series they're not the underdog in before overreacting. Obviously it would be beyond stupid to fire Babcock at this point.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

why yes, yes he should certainly be fired! (no he shouldn't)

 

[VoluntaryDom]

id give him one more year if he cant get out of round 1 this year

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Who cares if the leafs are underdogs? Look around the league, underdogs win all the time.

 

[Connor McConnor]

What if there was another embarrassing first round exit? We just missed a great cap window with Matthews/Marner

How is this an embarrassing first round exit?

 

[HarryLime]

Babcock is steady and dependable but he isn't very innovative or creative imo. They could fire him and possibly find a coach who is those things but there lies a risk. he can manage ego's well, which is an underrated strength.

I do remember when he had his darlings in Detroit like Cleary and others who'd over play no matter the cost and inefficiency. His fetish for playing Marleau late in games down 1 goal has been cringe.

I say keep him, but next season he would need to win a series or 2.

 

[obey86]

Babcock is steady and dependable but he isn't very innovative or creative imo. They could fire him and possibly find a coach who is those things but there lies a risk. he can manage ego's well, which is an underrated strength.

I do remember when he had his darlings in Detroit like Cleary and others who'd over play no matter the cost and inefficiency. His fetish for playing Marleau late in games down 1 goal has been cringe.

I say keep him, but next season he would need to win a series or 2.

We warned Toronto fans. They didn't believe us.

 

[tony d]

No, I think they'll give him 1 more year at least as coach.