National Post (National Edition)
Do Leafs dare dream of playoffs?
CULTURE SHIFT AND YOUTH MOVEMENT HAVE TEAM PLAYING INSPIRED HOCKEY
There’s a moment in the documentary leading to the Centennial Classic where we get a sneak peak at Leafs coach Mike Babcock and the mindset he’s instilling in his overachieving young team.
Cameras in the Argos BMO Field dressing room that was taken over by the Leafs for the weekend captured the renowned Babcock intensity on full display.
“These games, these fun games, just like in the playoffs … all you’ve got to do is your simple part,” Babcock tells the troops before heading to the ice to face the Detroit Red Wings. “Do your simple part and you’re great together.”
Yes, the man said playoffs. And yes, he said it to a group of players in Maple Leafs uniform.
An outdoor classic has nowhere near the stakes of a contest in the Stanley Cup tournament, of course, but recognizing and responding to the big-game feel is part of the Babcock text book.
The more learning opportunities the better, for a coach widely acknowledged as one of the best in the game. So even if the Leafs are nowhere near deep nor experienced enough to challenge for a title yet, grinding their way into the tournament can only be seen as a positive.
With that in mind, why not now?
Management isn’t planning to abandon the patient rebuild just for a handful of playoff revenue dates. Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello aren’t about to deal young prospects for veterans to make the push, either.
First things first: There is a tendency in this market, both from the media and the fan base, to succumb to hyperbole if the Leafs have even the briefest taste of success. The six-game winning streak that ended Friday in Washington certainly brought the playoffs into play and with it predictable excitement.
An emotional 5-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre slipped the Leafs back out of the playoff spot they held for less than 24 hours. And with the team on a five-day bye week, the standings will become skewed by the time they return to action Friday in New York when the Leafs will hold multiple games in hand on all of the teams they are chasing.
Let’s look at the reasons why talkin’ playoffs in Toronto in early January isn’t as far-fetched as dreaming of a week on the beach.
YOUTH IS SERVED
Yes, expectations were significant for rookie Auston Matthews and to a lesser extent, fellow NHL freshman Mitch Marner entering this season. But they weren’t this high.
Both were impact players less than 10 games into their NHL careers and both continue to improve almost nightly. Most importantly, each has shown dominant offensive moves that even seasoned NHLers are unable to contain at times.
And it gets better. Most nights, the Leafs have as many as eight rookies in the lineup and to varying degrees, each have had their impressive moments. William Nylander is a setup machine on the power play, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman are effective linemates for Matthews and Nikita Zaitsev continues to evolve into a top-four defenceman.
More than once this season, Babcock has said it is the rookies who are driving this team and he’s right.
TEACHER, TEACHER
Clearly re-invigorated by the task at hand in Toronto, Babcock lives for teachable moments. Spend enough time around Leafs practice and you see it on a daily basis.
One of the most driven coaches in the game, Babcock is determined to see his young players develop. It’s part of the reason his Hyman-Matthews-Brown allrookie line may be the best on the team. It’s also why he had Matthews on the ice again for the final minute of the Centennial Classic with the Leafs nursing a one-goal lead and Wings veteran Henrik Zetterberg on the other side of the faceoff dot.
That didn’t work out so well, with the late Wings equalizer, but Matthews bounced back with the game winner in overtime and you can bet a helpful video session from the coaching staff post-game.
The biggest thing Babcock wants to teach the Leafs, however, is how to win. A taste of the playoffs this spring, even if it’s just one round, will pay big dividends in the future and provide all sorts of material for his coaching curriculum.
WHY WAIT?
While we’re not suggesting major changes around the trade deadline to improve the prospect, what’s the point in not doing everything possible to get the current group to the playoffs now?
Based on the record they’ve built so far (44 points in 39 games and on pace for 92) and the fact they’re in a weak Atlantic Division, it’s certainly well within reach.
Stockpiling the shelves with high-end prospects is a wise strategy, ultimately aimed at sustained, longterm success.
Led by the savvy eye of assistant general manager Mark Hunter, the Leafs are well on their way.
But how many times have you heard Babcock say the goal is to be a playoff team every spring and a serious contender in most of them?
Overall, there’s a winning culture borne in part because of the belief that the rebuild is for real. If playing and having success in tough games in March and early April lead to a post-season berth, the reward would be worthy.
VETERAN PRESENCE
If they hadn’t suffered through so many miserable seasons with little hope, players such as Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak might feel chafed at all the attention being heaped on their young teammates.
The opposite, it would appear, is happening.
Those three and others such as defencemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner can also see the fruits of the rebuild and are motivated to remain a part of it when the team does become a contender.
Kadri has 16 goals in 39 games and as long as he remains healthy will destroy his previous season high of 20. Furthermore, the defensive groundwork Babcock drilled in him last season continues to take root.
Van Riemsdyk is on pace for 29 goals, one shy of his career best, but also 69 points which would easily be his most productive season.
ROADBLOCKS
It would be a remarkable turnaround to go from 30th (and last) overall to being a part of the Eastern Conference playoffs and it’s not an easy turnaround.
There are obstacles, of course, starting with the compacted schedule once the bye week is done. Will a team full of young players hit a wall? Will the time and space Matthews and Marner have been able to carve for themselves become limited when the texture and tenacity of games change?
There are also issues on the Leafs blue line, the weak link so far and one opponents are anxious to exploit. And don’t forget the frustrating inability to close out games they are leading. But Babcock wants them to find out and the sooner the better.
“At playoff time in the NHL, you’re up one or down one,” Babcock said recently. “It’s the same every night. You’ve got to love digging in and knowing you’re going to get it done.”