And you'll read online that "oh Babcock has already taken us to the playoffs three times in a row". But I'm not sure if they're watching the entire game or understand why the team structure/buy-in starts from the coach down.
He'll prioritize players like Kadri, Marleau and Human in the last few minutes in the game because they play "responsibly." He refuses to leverage the skill that this team is built for. As a result, players like Tavares, Marner, Matthews and Nylander get median ice time because Babcock wants to line match and run all four lines more equally. He focuses on a structured game emphasizing very VERY specific set plays regardless of their effectiveness. Last year he was dead set on having one or two forwards up high and utilizing the stretch pass to enter the offensive zone, this year it's having two forwards waiting at the offensive blue line and only one player carrying the puck with speed. What about our special teams? Last year we finally changed our ineffective powerplay in the second period in game seven against Boston - it took more than half a season and an entire playoff round for Babcock and the coaching staff to notice a change was required.
With that kind of pattern of stubbornness, it's no longer surprising the team rarely shows desire to win. He rules with fear - if you don't play Babcock's way, you don't play at all. Creativity is punished (see Nylander) and Connor Brown-nosing is rewarded. From our star players coasting passively on the backcheck to our uninspiring special teams, our team looks broken - meaning I'm obvserving low chemistry, little accountability and no desperation until it's too late in the game. In the workplace I think most of us know what it's like to work with difficult leaders and bosses. In general, The more human and understanding our bosses are, they more comfortable and hard-working we are in the workplace. When our bosses have a huge ego rule with fear, the less inclined we are to try. I honestly don't believe it's any different with the Babcock and Leafs at this moment.
I'm thankful for Babcock and taking us this far. Definitely a MASSIVE step up from Wilson and Carlyle. He brought a structure to our team that was absent for many years. But now that we have an exceptionally talented core, we need a coach that can exploit their skill against other teams instead of locking out star players in roles they shouldn't be playing.