Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs: Babcock’s Definition Of Accountability

By Wilbert Timmermans

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - OCTOBER 4: Head coach Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs directs his team against the Winnipeg Jets during NHL action on October 4, 2017 at the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Photo by Jason Halstead /Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - OCTOBER 4: Head coach Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs directs his team against the Winnipeg Jets during NHL action on October 4, 2017 at the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Photo by Jason Halstead /Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock needs to look up the word accountability in a dictionary.

I have great faith in Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, I truly do. His resume speaks for itself, he can work with big names and create a winning team. But what Mike Babcock clearly can’t do, is working with raw talent that has yet to be polished.

In my opinion, Mike Babcock’s approach to the young players is outdated and illogical. Imagine your teacher, parents, boss or whoever demoting you on every bad day you have. It’s demoralizing and plain harmful to your development, you don’t need to study psychology to know that.

Accountability

Mike Babcock is a coach that loves players that bring this element. Being accountable, performing defensive tasks, willing to grind for the puck. I’ll admit, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Heck, you’d be foolish to say you don’t like a player that brings that to a team.

More from Editor In Leaf

So what’s your problem then, Wilbert? Simple, Mike Babcock seems to confuse the words liability and accountability with one and other. Calling the likes of Roman Polak accountable and being wrong, no big deal. We all make mistakes. Continuing doing that, while the aforementioned player keeps proving the world otherwise,  is stupid. There’s no other word for it.

Mike Babcock needs to make decisions based on quality and stop making age and the number of games played a returning theme in making decisions.

William Nylander

When Auston Matthews got injured, it did not take long for Mike Babcock to announce William Nylander would get a shot at playing centre.  Nylander got his shot and was dominant against the Bruins. Then, after a bad game against the Lightning, he’s back on the wing against Florida last night.

In my opinion, one bad game is not a valid reason to just demote him. That decision do not only hurt Nylander, it hurts Josh Leivo. Moving Nylander back to the wing, forces Leivo out of the line-up and for crying out loud, Komarov onto the powerplay unit.  Nylander is held accountable, but other players are not.  Roman Polak makes forty errors per game, and is played more often than Connor Carrick.  Look up Carrick’s stats – they’re good numbers for a top-four NHL dman – and yet despite earning more ice time than Polak, he doesn’t get it.  There is no consistency.

Next: Enemy's Insight: Post Trade Deadline

Leivo earned a job in the NHL, Babcock doesn’t play him.  Ealier, Marner was the best player on his line, but when that line was in need of a switch, Marner was the one on the fourth line.  I could go on and on.  I like Babcock, but it’s frustrating to watch his inconsistency.  In conclusion, Mike Babcock needs to start trusting the younger players because they will be around for the long haul. Maybe they will have a bad game from time to time, but they will learn from it.

Sorry for venting, but I felt this way for some time now.

Thanks for reading!

Home/Editorials