Mike Babcock is a central force behind the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For an organization so historically deprived of stability, he’s has managed to instil within his team a new-age culture during his time as head coach. Babcock’s is a culture built on two pillars; accountability and consistency.
Being a Leaf is once again a source of pride. A sentiment of which had been noticeably lacking from the Burke/Nonis Eras before him.
Is he perfect? Heck no. No coach is. Babcock’s specific imperfections can actually be counterproductive. The stubbornness he displays in judging players created a dog house with a seriously low vacancy rate.
As many players thrive under Babcock-ian rule, others wilt instead.
This is due to change. With Kyle Dubas occupying the captain’s chair, those of whom Babcock shunned in the past may be handed a fresh shot at redemption.
While the two form a productive partnership (for proof, just listen to Babcock gushing over how Dubas landed Tavares) specific aspects of the pair’s ideologies differ. Frankly, that’s not a bad thing. A diversity of opinion is not only welcome, it’s crucial to fostering new ideas. Innovation isn’t born from a room of indistinguishable mindsets, and the Leafs front office employs a wide variety.
So, with redemption in the cards, here are a few players primed for another crack at their coach’s good graces.
Connor Carrick
Connor Carrick is a metaphor.
Strictly a third pairing option, he represents the gap in difference between how his coach and GM fill that role. Whereas Babcock stuffs his bottom pair with net clearing ability and shutdown presence, Dubas eschews size in favour of mobility.
Standing at 5’10, Carrick is clearly of the Dubas mould.
Not only is the 24-year-old physically incapable of gaining the requisite size Babcock covets in depth D, he’s not a safe player either. Areas of possession and transition are where Carrick thrives most, naturally lending a higher degree of risk.
It’s hard to surrender the puck when you rarely have it. And Carrick, as his baseline of CF/60 of 53.4% as a Leaf suggests, usually does.
As expected, the mental hiccups which followed landed Carrick deep in the Buffalo Bill pit of Babcock’s mind. Suiting up for just 47 games last season, his existence was that of only a temporary injury replacement and not much else.
Enter Dubas.
Inking Carrick to an extension is one of the first moves Dubas made as GM. This timing, prior to the qualifying offer window, paints Carrick as a priority. Yet, it’s his new $1.3 million cap hit, higher than expected, that suggests he’s in for a usage upgrade. Dubas handed him seven figures to not simply toil away in the press box. Carrick will be used.
This isn’t to say Carrick’s path to consistent playing time is without hurdles. Justin Holl, a fellow third pairing RHD with ties to Dubas, was locked up in the following weeks. Both players fit Dubas’ ideal mold for their roles, tightening the race. While Carrick may appear to have the inside track, and a cap hit roughly double the size of Holl’s, who emerges from training camp victorious will be interesting to watch.
Carrick will get a better shot than last year. He just needs to earn it.
William Nylander
This may come as a surprise, with Nylander spending the bulk of his time alongside Auston Matthews, but he’s closer to Babcock’s doghouse than most think.
The talented winger averaged a smidge above 16 minutes per night last season, a usage rate not befitting of a top line winger. In the process, Nylander frequently drew the ire of his coach, thanks in part to some less than stellar play in his own end.
Entering year three, Babcock views Nylander as a project. The ability to produce offensive is there. That’s without question. Rather, it’s Nylander’s repeated gaffes that force him to pay the price for the collective struggles of his line.
Dubas, on the other hand, loves Nylander.
Presiding over his stint with the Marlies, Dubas was a central figure of the specific period in Nylander’s development most responsible for his growth as a player. Not to mention, Dubas has publicly expressed his intention of keeping the Core Four together for the foreseeable future.
That core includes Willy.
With Tavares now in the fold, his arrival will likely impact the ice time of those around him. An increase in Nylander’s even strength may not be in the cards. But, it’s likely Dubas urges Babcock to pump Willy’s minutes on the man advantage, giving him a featured role of more substance than last year’s.
Martin Marincin
For a long time, Babcock loved Martin Marincin. Perhaps even to the detriment of the team.
Regardless of how many grenades Mar Mar tossed into the hands of his opponents, Babcock just kept throwing him out there, seduced by his size and deftness for preventing zone entries. That love mercifully faded last season, with Marincin seeing just 2 games with the Leafs and spending the rest of his time in the AHL.
Without a doubt, it was the best thing that could have possibly happened.
On the Marlies, Marincin was given a degree of leeway he never had with the Leafs. Slowly gaining confidence as the year progressed, he rounded into one of the AHL’s top defenders and become a vital component to the Marlies’ successful Calder Cup run.
The Marincin who panicked at the mere sight of a puck is long gone, replaced by a player once again knocking on the NHL’s door.
Over the course of last season, Marincin repeatedly credited Dubas for giving him the opportunity to reboot his floundering career. It takes is one glance at Dubas’ Twitter likes to see that the affection is mutual. Barring a future acquisition, Marincin’s shot at locking down the Leafs’ final LHD spot is likely the best among all who vie for it.
And, with Roman Polak in Dallas, Babcock may compensate by feeding Marincin some heavy PK minutes.
Josh Leivo
Leivo is no longer in Babcock’s doghouse. No, after playing just 29 total games over the past two seasons, the poor guy is buried deep underneath it.
Leivo’s best and only shot at full-time employment as a Leaf comes with Dubas in charge. The two share a relationship dating back to their time with the Marlies, where Leivo contributed to the best regular season in franchise history.
If anyone can make a compelling case for Leivo’s resurrection, it’s his bespectacled GM.
The signing of Tyler Ennis complicates things somewhat. Both his experience and strong underlying numbers paint him as the favourite to fill the fourth line left wing vacancy. Still, Dubas knows Leivo. A generous sample size may be lacking, but Dubas is no doubt in tune with how effectively Leivo performed in limited minutes.
If Leivo can’t stick under Dubas, it’s unlikely he ever will. Only this time, he’ll be given a fair shot.
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