The Star: Stability brings out the best of Leafs' young horses

[LeafsBro]

https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2017/01/05/stability-brings-out-the-best-of-leafs-young-horses-dimanno.html
Well written article with good insight into how quickly this management group has made an impact on what I would say is now the mid stage of this rebuild. Obviously having picked within the top 4 of the past couple drafts has had a massive impact on this team's success as well.

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[saltming]

There was precious little stability and franchise ballast in the pre-Brendan Shanahan, pre-Lou Lamoriello, pre-Babcock era. That’s really what distinguishes this hockey epoch from most of what’s come before.

“I think when you have that in the room, it makes the players feel like we know where this team is going and we know where we stand,†notes Rielly, from the ripe perspective of a 22-year-old career Leaf who is on his third coach, except this one has eight-plus years left on his massive contract.

“It’s great to have a guy you know is going to be there. You feel like you can create a relationship with him because he’s not going anywhere. As players, we enjoy that. It makes it easy to feel comfortable about coming to the rink. We know who’s in charge. And it’s not just Babs. It’s Shanny and Lou. They’re really created an environment where the players feel like we’re safe, we know what’s going on, we know what to expect. There’s never any doubt on what the expectations are.â€

Matthews and Marner and the rest won’t understand the chaos that preceded them, right up to some of the entitlement attitudes of the last two seasons. It’s as if alpine breezes have swept all of that storminess and stress away.

“It’s kind of like security,†says Nazem Kadri, who has been in the eye of that storm through much of his Leaf tenure. “You stay with a coach for a while, you know what to expect from him over the years. When things are changing up or you’re losing, you’ve got to make adjustments or change the system or change your lines. When you’re a little more successful as a team, you can keep things the same and everything’s crystal clear. We’re a close-knit team and everyone seems to like each other in here.â€

That is so nice to hear! It's one of those things that can really be called culture change.

 

[LeafsBro]

That is so nice to hear! It's one of those things that can really be called culture change.

The fact that we have such a safe and positive environment to develop the young, potentially elite talent we have on the roster bodes so well for the future. Just imagine how good players like Matthews, Marner, Nylander, etc. will be as they get more used to the league and continue to learn under the tutelage of one of the best coaches in the sport.