Leafs are an embarrassment

[Stryfex]

Lifetime Red Wings fan here - and although I absolutely hate the leafs, I didn't actually come to the thread to crap on them

Just wanting to re-iterate that Babcock is terrible. He just is. Take a look at his playoff statistics after Lidstrom retired - those numbers are very very telling.

I was really happy to see him go (now, to be fair our current coach is even worse but we're a different type of disaster than the leafs).

Leafs have quite a few pieces to a winning team. Although I personally hope they never win anything at all I think the number one key for them is replacing Babcock even higher priority than figuring out that defense corps.

[jameslacarte]

I came into this season thinking we had a better team, at least on paper anyways. There's no way our defense can be any worse than it was!! 1/4 of the way through the season & i dont think that anymore. This has got to be the biggest bunch of Pansies the Leafs have ever dressed, at least in the 40+ years ive been watching them. Our 4 line,(supposedly the Grind Line)is the worst. Gauthier is a 6'6 powder puff girl & the other 2 are no better. Ok, Nylander does have 8 goals so far but everytime he's about to get hit he just gives the puck away.
Toronto Maple Leafs- The best of Pee Wee hockey (but probably not the toughest)..
Not sure how much more i can take this year!!

[icefields]

James i agree
just watched them lose to the islanders.
absolutely no pushback at all.
i saw littler cizikas push over 6'6" gauthier with almost no effort. its like these guys want to go down. its not like baseball where a dirty uniforms means you are involved.
they have 3 players - Kapanen, Nylander and Johnsson, i say get rid of two of them (Nylander for sure because of his flattering stats) and get two gritty players. at worst you save 15 million a year. have at least one checker/grinder on each line. early on matthews gets dumped into the isles net and nobody did anything. just skate away heads down. calling them pansies is being generous. its time for the dictator babcock to go. why does he insist on his stars block shots.
let them play offense not defense! win 8-7 or 6-5, make it miserable to play in toronto. punish teams. the successful teams do it.... boston, st.louis etc.

[Maggot]

have at least one checker/grinder on each line. let them play offense not defense! win 8-7 or 6-5, make it miserable to play in toronto. punish teams. the successful teams do it.... boston, st.louis etc.

That certainly used to be true, but not the last two seasons. Last year we were 24th in hits and this year we're 18th. Playing with grit and being tough on the puck is what makes teams successful, IMO. Not doling out punishment. I wish the secret sauce was big hits, b/c I love watching them, but I don't think that's the case.

[canucksfan007]

Canucks are full of terrific 3rd line player ...... we could use an offensive upgrade on the 2nd line =P

[piper1]

So you are all saying they could use a player in their lineup like a Connor Brown?

[jameslacarte]

Connor Brown would be a start. I agree, Johnsson, Kapanen or Nylander need to go. Remember last year when teams like St. Louis & Carolina were offering us a boat load of good young defenseman for Nylander? I would trade Nylander,(someone will take his contract) & Johnsson. I think we could upgrade our defense with the 2 of them.
Here's what gets me!! Shanahan knows what it takes to win Cups. He knows that without Kocur & him out on the ice teams would have taken run's at they're Star players. I have seen Matthews take some big hits already in this early Season, guys are trying to run him, taking shots at his head. That can't happen!! & Shanahan knows this. Where did this Dubas come from? I think he needs to go as well he put together this line up. Glad to see Hyman back too.
Leaf Fans-its gonna be another early exit again this year

[pwskelly]

Playing with grit and being tough on the puck is what makes teams successful, IMO. Not doling out punishment.

Exactly ... this is why St Louis won the Cup last year, and why the Caps won it the year before and so on.

[creasecollector]

Just throwing this out there, but anyone think it's time for Babcock to go.... right now? Or should be wait it out and see what can be done in the playoffs?

[pwskelly]

Just throwing this out there, but anyone think it's time for Babcock to go.... right now? Or should be wait it out and see what can be done in the playoffs?

Its always difficult making a change during the season. I think that the Leafs have to give him a chance to rebound, after all he's Shanny's guy and Shanny loses all credibility with future coaching candidates if he axes Babcock this soon. That said, if I'm the Leafs braintrust, I am looking around to see who else is out there and might possibly be able to come in if things get worse.