My rationale for hiring him is he's a better coach than Tippett who is obsessed with preparation and structure.
Even people who call him a terrible person admit the dude's preparation with his teams is impeccible.
What do you want to do? Flush this season down the toilet? Because unless you are blind this team has tuned out the coach they are playing for, and once a team tunes out a coach, it's over. There's no coming back from this.
Besides what the f*** are we even clinging onto? A shit 5 on 5 coach who will just get us murdered in a 1st round series against Vegas/Colorado/St. Louis/Winnipeg/Calgary (ugh Sutter would eat Tippett alive)/Anaheim (Gibson supernova)/probably Vancouver (way better now under Bodreau).
Like what do you think is going to happen even if they make the playoffs? Stop being naive, because the Oilers opponents are not going to be naive. They are going to pick apart this team's lack of 5 on 5 play and confused disjointed way of going into every game apart and eat them alive in a playoff round with the way Tippett coaches. They have no chance with his garbage "do whatever you want forwards" system.
Sorry, not a troll, just found out about this site through a friend and want to discuss the sad team I watch
My brothers a leafs fan and so I’ve watched my fair share of leafs games….and I think you might have a skewed view of Babcock
Firstly, his “structure”: 5 v 5 offence will get better, Babcock would run red line stretch passes and that’s what made players who could move the puck like Rielly so effective. His defence was Frederick Andersen. They had a legit 60 game starter who had very respectable numbers, not Mr no glove hand and mr injury’s himself every time he does the butterfly. Babcocks team, whether through personelle or system, couldn’t defend the cycle at all, they were average on the rush but sucked defending the cycle. Frederick Andersen bailed them out for 4 years, and now Jack Campbell is doing it to a much improved team
Secondly his lid: Babcock is notorious for benching guys like Marner and nylander, but never benched Matthews or Tavares. So someone like pul or RNH would be thrown under the bus whilst McDrai would probably get off Scotch free. He loved hyman so he’d stick Mcdavid and Hyman together, then probably force either foegele or McLeod on the other wing as foegele is the type of player he likes, or because he will see potential in McLeod and once he does that, no matter how bad McLeod may be, he ain’t coming off that line.
thirdly his structure, the leafs always started late, they often gave up the first goal too. In 19-20 in their 23 games with him, they gave up the first goal the most in the league. Babcock couldn’t get the leafs to start on time consistently apart from 17-18.
I honestly think this team firstly needs a look at its players at the same time as coaching:
I’d say the players we have are a huge problem. Our bottom 6 has maybe 1 player in foegele that might crack a contenders roster. Our defence has maybe 2. Our goaltending is ahl worthy on other teams. We either need to rework the lines to have two capable players and one boat anchor in the top 9, or we need to acquire talent.
Tippet has shown an unrelenting unwillingness to change anything about himself. Whether it’s the 1-3-1 after leading or his one “trump” card of playing Mcdrai together. Holland hasn’t given him many major pieces to work with either. He’s given him a couple of ponds and asked tippet to checkmate the other side with every piece. Both are morons.
