Maple Leafs’ future is bright
Just over a year ago, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock stood in a hallway in the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., stuck out his jaw and made a pronouncement.
“The future of our organization is very bright,” Babcock said. “There is still some pain coming. But we’re going to get a lot better very fast.”
Babcock said those words to reporters on the night of April 9, 2016, not long after the Leafs concluded the 2015-16 regular season with a loss to the Devils, further entrenching themselves in last place in the NHL.
Babcock was right. The Leafs’ future is bright and they did get better fast, coming within a couple of overtime goals of knocking off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.
In a sense, Babcock was right about anticipating more pain, only it was different than what Babcock might have been thinking about that night in New Jersey.
The pain felt by the organization wasn’t rooted in stumbles and struggles through the second season of Babcock’s reign, because to a large extent those challenges did not exist to overcome.
A youthful group headed by Auston Matthews (someone must have a pool going regarding the date he will be named captain), backed by Frederik Andersen’s goaltending and solidified by strong seasons from veterans Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak was quick to learn under Babcock. That the Leafs were able to correct themselves along the way helped ensure there was more than enough determination to clinch a playoff berth with a finish of 12-5-1 in the final 18 games.
What a difference it was to watch a Leafs team get stronger as intensity grew. We became accustomed to watching Leafs teams fall apart when the going got tough.
That’s not part of Babcock’s world now and it won’t be in the seasons to come.
We spoke to an NHL coach, one who had the time to watch the series between the Leafs and the Capitals, and he is convinced the Leafs are close to being an annual Stanley Cup contender, while keeping in mind there must be some improvements.
Three crucial pieces are in place.
Matthews, in the anonymous coach’s mind, is the Leafs’ Mario Lemieux — a franchise player, one with maturity and skill well beyond his 19 years, to build around.
The importance of Andersen was stressed with the coach thinking the Leafs have an emerging star and won’t have a concern about the goaltending any time soon.
Finally, there had to be a firm hand to guide the talent and mould it and Babcock was that man with the anonymous coach lauding the work and perseverance of Babcock to get the Leafs on a fast track to respectability.
There was one factor to lament on the anonymous coach’s part. He figured that had the Leafs been on the other side of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, one that did not include the Caps or the Pittsburgh Penguins, they could have advanced to the conference final.
Bottom line: the Leafs have their superstar and their goaltender and the coach to ensure everything fits into place.
We’ll be curious to see whether the Leafs again can avoid devastating injuries next season. Toronto benefited from the fact nine regulars played in all 82 games during the regular season and five others played in at least 75.
As a result, Babcock was able to use players as much as he wished in intense situations, valuable experiences that helped the team throw more than a bit of worry into the Capitals.
After a well-deserved day off on Monday, the Leafs will gather at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday morning for exit meetings and their final media availability. The optimism won’t be the kind expressed with fingers crossed behind their collective backs. It will have a foundation in the 2016-17 season as a whole, one during which the franchise set a new course.
“We want to be in this situation every year,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “Each and every guy is motivated to be here. This is a step in the right direction. We’re going to continue to grow and see how far we can take it.”