The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of important decisions to make over the summer.
Perhaps the most important one pertains to their head coach, Mike Babcock. During yet another disappointing Game Seven loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins, Babcock’s out-dated coaching methods were exposed for all to see once again. The highest paid bench boss in hockey has not only failed to push Toronto over the first-round hump, he’s continually shown practically no intent to adjust his ideology when needed, and it’s bitten him two years in a row.
With the uncertainty surrounding Babcock coming to a head in recent days, the EIL staff put their heads together to answer the question:
If you were Kyle Dubas, what would you do with Mike Babcock moving forward?
The answers may shock you. Or not. We’ve never met.
Personally, I think it’s time for Babcock to go. He was the perfect stabilizing force to lead the Maple Leafs through their top-to-bottom rebuild in 2015. But as the team has gradually gotten better and entered into the contention window, Babcock has continually mishandled the lineup and rubbed players the wrong way when it comes to ice time and, even, public comments.
Not to mention, at the Maple Leafs year-end media conference, Babcock took zero responsibility for the team’s failure. For a coach who preaches accountability at every chance he gets, that is simply unacceptable.
Practice what you preach, as the saying goes. Babcock doesn’t seem to get that.