HOLD YOUR HORSES, THE CUP AIN’T COMING NORTH JUST YET
On the first day of training camp, Mike Babcock was asked about managing expectations.
Specifically, he was asked whether a team that had qualified for the final spot in the playoffs by just one point should be expected to not only make the post-season again, but take a bigger step forward and go on a deeper playoff run.
Before he could answer, the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach took a swig from the water bottle in his hand. Presumably, it was to swallow any vomit that had suddenly formed in his mouth.
“The fans would like everything to happen right away,” said Babcock, speaking in his most calming voice. “We’re all like that. We need immediate gratification. That’s what the world is all about now. But usually, it’s not like that.”
In other words, don’t count on the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers meeting in the Stanley Cup final. That probably won’t happen until 2019. That is unless Calgary and Ottawa or Winnipeg and Montreal beat them there first.
If not, then you’re allowed to get out your pitchforks and torches and demand answers, if not heads to roll.
But seriously, this is what you get after five of the seven Canadian teams finally made the playoffs last season. By Year 2, fans want more. They expect it. They not only want those same five teams to make the playoffs again, but they want them to go a lot further. And the kids with their smartphones and their fidget spinners want it now.
For the Leafs, who acquired veterans such as Patrick Marleau and Ron Hainsey for this exact reason, the larger-than-life expectations can be daunting. For Oilers head coach Todd McLellan, handling the hype is more of “an honour.”
After all, it’s far better than what people were saying about the team a couple of years ago.
“That means that you’ve earned the right to be classified in that group,” McLellan told reporters in Edmonton. “I think we’ve worked hard to be where we are. The key will be to remember how hard it is to win. That’s up to the team and the group of guys.
“I will caution everybody that each year is it’s own monster. It takes on its own personality, its own set of circumstances ... our goals are fairly lofty, but the work that goes into it is immense and the players have to understand it.”
It was a reminder to fans as much as players. The Oilers want to contend for a championship and they plan on doing it. But just because Edmonton reached the second round of the playoffs last year and the Ottawa Senators made it to within one game of playing for the Stanley Cup does not mean that they will necessarily take another step forward this year.
“I think everyone wants to try to put more expectations, but it’s upon us to manage it and keep more short-term goals and worry about what we can do on a dayto-day basis,” said Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who added that making the playoffs remains the immediate goal. “That’s the first step. And then you have to take the next step.”
Last year was a special year for Canadian-based teams. A lot had to go right for that to happen. But at the same time, a lot had to go wrong with some of the other teams in the league.
The injury bug that swept through Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, taking out Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Quick, somehow missed Edmonton and Calgary. That might not happen again. And while we can expect Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to continue to grow as players, there’s no guarantee that Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak will all have career offensive years again.
Some players will underachieve, just as some teams, whether it is the New York Islanders or the Dallas Stars, will bounce back after missing the playoffs a year ago.
“When you look at the expectations — when you go through all the teams in the East and you say, ‘They’re better and they’re better and they’re better’ — every team today that is meeting with the press thinks they’re making the playoffs,” said Babcock. “But they’re not all making the playoffs. So let’s just get better.”
What constitutes success for the Leafs or the Oilers or any other Canadian team? Is making the playoffs still good enough or, after what happened last season, is it reasonable for fans to expect more? The answer is yes — to both questions.
But at the same time, when you are talking about rebuilding teams where the best players on the roster are still developing, a small step backwards might not represent failure.
“I think we’re all excited. I’m excited and I think our players are excited. But you have to temper that,” said Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello.
“The season that we had last year was a real good season and it was a good playoff, but we did not win. We’re still in the growing (phase) ...
“As far as what the fans can expect, they can expect a typical Mike Babcock-coached team. They’re going to be prepared each and every night and the players are going to come to play. And we’re going to have to wait and see what the end result is.”