Why is Mike Babcock being made the scapegoat for the Maple Leaf's problems?

[SimpleJack]

It did work in STL last year tho. JUST SAYING .

STL has a very solid Dcore

Toronto will never win with the way their roster is constructed. The blue line is too offensive minded and can’t play in their own end.

Doesn’t matter who the coach is IMO

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

He's one of the most successful coaches in North American Hockey, the coach who holds the record for most wins as the Red Wings coach, numerous Stanley Cup Finals appearances, and took the Red Wings to the playoffs every year he was coach there. The problem with the Leafs appear to be gutless, heartless, spoiled young players and an inexperienced foolish GM. Sad that he's being made the scapegoat. I think they are doing him a favor if they were to let him go.

I think it boils down to the adage "it's easier to replace 1 coach than it is to replace 20 players". So in that sense, replacing the coach is probably the best choice. However, if anyone thinks that Babcock is the ONLY reason the Leafs are struggling, then I think there's going to be a rude awakening when the same sort of issues are still present with the new coach.

 

[TT1]

Dubas should be taking all the blame. The guy was gifted a strong core and still managed to butcher their roster. Their team is way too individualistic and they have no backbone.

They needed a stabilizing presence on the backend and who'd they end up getting? Tyson Barrie..

If your forward core is soft the least you can do is have a strong/physical d-core, its common sense.

 

[eviohh26]

STL has a very solid Dcore

Toronto will never win with the way their roster is constructed. The blue line is too offensive minded and can’t play in their own end.

Doesn’t matter who the coach is IMO

HEY i was tryna stay positive. But i agree.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Kadri is gone, a load of guys went to Ottawa, Sparks is gone, Marner is hurt, Tavares is cold.

So no, the roster is not the same, the core is not the same.

Marner is injured fine but Tavares, Matthews, Nylander, Andersen, Rielly, Muzzin is the same as last year. I realize Muzzin was a mid season trade but how is the CORE not the same? That’s like your top 6-8 players if you include Marner and also KK and AJ.

 

[eviohh26]

Dubas should be taking all the blame. The guy was gifted a strong core and still managed to butcher their roster. Their team is way too individualistic and they have no backbone.

They needed a stabilizing presence on the backend and who'd they end up getting? Tyson Barrie..

If your forward core is soft the least you can do is have a strong/physical d-core, its common sense.

Team has no heart atm. They all play for themselves and they pay cheques.

 

[BLNY]

Because he's an overrated coach that made sure it was written into his deal that he have significant input on the roster.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Reminds me of when a big % of Habs fans thought we would be amazing as soon as we fired Therrien.

 

[TheBigBadCat]

Detroit had a winning culture , even a blind men could have coached those teams

 

[CartographerNo611]

When was the last time Babcock had any sort of playoff success?

Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and a Pens team filled with grinders.

 

[eviohh26]

Detroit had a winning culture , even a blind men could have coached those teams

Honestly do you even need to coach players like Datsyuk Zetterberg and Lidstrom? Pretty sure Lidstrom coached Babcock

 

[hector morrison]

He's one of the most successful coaches in North American Hockey, the coach who holds the record for most wins as the Red Wings coach, numerous Stanley Cup Finals appearances, and took the Red Wings to the playoffs every year he was coach there. The problem with the Leafs appear to be gutless, heartless, spoiled young players and an inexperienced foolish GM. Sad that he's being made the scapegoat. I think they are doing him a favor if they were to let him go.

You can have him...no success in a decade...his only success came with stacked national squads...shoulda won one more than one cup with a stacked Detroit team...gets out-coached on the regular...refuses to learn in-game adjustments....is ridiculously over-paid...repeats the same crap to media....and I don't like his hair!

 

[TheBigBadCat]

Honestly do you even need to coach players like Datsyuk Zetterberg and Lidstrom? Pretty sure Lidstrom coached Babcock

Ray Charles could have coached that team and win

 

[DearDiary]

Is this the part where people who don't watch the games try and tell people the team doesn't look like they have quit on the coach? That a back to back 100 point team went to an 80 point team with all of the core in tact? These problems started last spring. It's coaching, we all knew it last year.

Maybe this is not the best team or 5th best, but it is a much better team than they have played.

iirc the Leafs have 84 points in their last 82 games. At this point, this is who they are

 

[jetsforever]

Signing Tavares was beyond stupid.

Already had a deep, talented, high scoring group of forwards.

Already had a face of the franchise 1C in Matthews

Clearly needed a defensive minded top pairing defenseman....and instead they go and commit all that $ to Tavares...

Then this summer....still in need of a defensive minded top pairing defenseman...they sign Tyson Barrie who’s known for his offense.

DUMB

Getting a defensive #1 d-man is a lot easier said than done, and Tavares was available as a UFA. It didn't help the defence problems, but I don't see how that was a dumb move.

 

[biotk]

Kadri is gone, a load of guys went to Ottawa, Sparks is gone, Marner is hurt, Tavares is cold.

So no, the roster is not the same, the core is not the same.

And yet in the second half of last season when the Leafs still had those guys who went Ottawa, and Sparks, and Marner and Tavares were both healthy and hot - when Kadri was in the lineup in the second half of the season the Leafs' went 14-16-5 (77 point pace) to finish off the year.

At best Babs is a terrible coach for this team. At worst he is simply a terrible coach.

The reality is that over the course of the first half of the season last year the Leafs' were not playing Babs' way (according to Babs himself) and they were 2nd in the NHL. In the second half of season the Leafs' playing Bab's way (again according to Babs himself) and they were 19th in the NHL. This season, with Babs knowing that he was in the hot seat he ensured that he imposed his Babsian ways on the teams within the first week of the year and the team is worse than ever - because Babs completely sucks as a coach.

 

[QuadDeuces]

I don't think that he is, or ever has been, a particularly good coach.

 

[ijuka]

He's one of the most successful coaches in North American Hockey, the coach who holds the record for most wins as the Red Wings coach, numerous Stanley Cup Finals appearances, and took the Red Wings to the playoffs every year he was coach there. The problem with the Leafs appear to be gutless, heartless, spoiled young players and an inexperienced foolish GM. Sad that he's being made the scapegoat. I think they are doing him a favor if they were to let him go.

There are a few things:

#1 Favors grinders and vets, leading into him playing the 4th line with less than 3 min left - while chasing. For example.

#2 A complete inability to change anything. On week 1 of pre-season he comes up with a plan and doesn't adjust anything about it the entire season, no matter how it's going.

#3 To do with above, he seems to be more concerned with looking good / his reputation instead of working for the good of the team. For example, he won't change his lines because it'd make him look bad for picking the wrong lines in the first place.

 

[habamillions]

Dubas should be taking all the blame. The guy was gifted a strong core and still managed to butcher their roster. Their team is way too individualistic and they have no backbone.

They needed a stabilizing presence on the backend and who'd they end up getting? Tyson Barrie..

If your forward core is soft the least you can do is have a strong/physical d-core, its common sense.

I agree. This is on dubas. He lost every single negotiation he was involved in. Now the team cant address needs because of no money. Also cant make a huge trade because no 1st round pick.

 

[TheBigBadCat]

I don't think that he is, or ever has been, a particularly good coach.

outcoached by Barry Trotz time after time

 

[The Podium]

My post from another thread:

His reputation is largely built on the back of arguably the best roster in the last half century and he hasnt done anything meaningful in over a decade.

List of problems:
1) Arrogant, throws players and management under the bus and never takes responsibility
2) Chip and chase or stretch pass zone exits, dump and chase zone entries are outdated
3) Special teams are an absolute joke
4) Inability to make in game adjustments
5) Inability to make the glaringly obvious lineup changes
6) Falls in love with blue collar players
7) Crazy ice-time distribution - Hyman had more TOI in his first game after a 7 month injury than Matthews
8) Playing the 3rd and 4th lines late in the 3rd while trailing

Is this roster perfect? No, absolutely not. But this is still a team with 2 #1Cs, 2 #1W, a #1D and solid depth throughout. Everyone thinks it is so easy to rebuild the D, Lou was here for how long? and brought in absolutely no one despite it being a problem for years. Dubas in 1.25 years has at least brought in Muzzin and Barrie, who yes faltered but that could be accounted for by the way the coach has utilized him. Ceci was a way to get out of the Zaitsev contract, he was give 1 year because they fully expect him to walk, he is not a long term solution. How much more turnover did you expect in just over 1 year?

This team is good enough to win games, even with its fundamental faults it is still a playoff team. Dubas ruined the team? This was his roster turnover:

Kadri, Hainsey, Gardiner, Zaitsev, Brown for Tavares, Kerfoot, Muzzin, Barrie, Ceci, Mikheyev

It is literally the same team with a shuffle of lateral moves + Tavares but somehow it has been ruined?

The only constant from when Lou got here, through Dubas, until now is Babcock. What do we have to show for it? 3 first round exits and a 30th place finish.​

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[BHD]

Because he's a 6.25 million dollar problem. That's why.

 

[Anomie2029]

I don't know, but when Cody Ceci has the 2nd most time on ice - it's usually a good sign the coach is clueless.

 

[I am Canadian]

Mostly because he has a ferrari and is trying to use it as a pickup truck.

 

[SI90]

This is absolutely disgusting. I hope the Mayor makes a “Babcock Day” in Toronto now.