WHOA - Mike Babcock OUT | Sheldon Keefe IN

[Bullfrog]

I have mixed feelings on this. I think I side with Nik and others, that I thought Babcock would finish out the season and would even have the chance to be unsuccessful. I think some are underestimating the success this has had with a very young roster. Even making the playoffs a couple of years ago was over-acheiving. And while I suppose it's easy to dismiss, a 7th game exit to one of the best teams in the league is impressive; at the least, it's not some abject failure.

With regard to their current underachieving, this is much more than just the coach. Some of the players are not playing to their abilities and the roster needs some adjustments.

That said, changing the coach is probably the only practical option aside from just riding it out. I sincerely hope Keefe turns out to be some wonder coach, but you can't deny he has no NHL experience and that it's a risk. As was pointed out previously, this is an important time for this roster with Marner and Matthews on 5 year deals.

 

[Highlander]

t is noteworthy that it was, in fact, Brendan Shanahan that conducted the press conference, not General Manager Kyle Dubas. That is the most important press conference and news that will come out of the organization this season, and the General Manager was not immediately present or accountable to any of it.

This is what I was commenting on above.  For better or worse, the optics were that the mature president was shielding the relatively immature GM from having to face the tough questions on the day of the firing.  I think it was right and proper for Shanahan to travel to AZ to tell Babcock the news jointly with Dubas.  But Dubas should have faced the press, either alone or else alongside Shanahan.

I think the optics were, as Highlander has repeated several times, that Babcock's job was saved by Shanahan/Ownership? at the end of last season, so the timing of this particular move again rests with him.

Whether that is good or makes sense or not (why give Dubas autonomy but not let him exercise it) is a different question. Dubas is going to face the press either way, especially back at home when they've had more of a chance to sharpen their knives.

Dubas and Keefe are meeting the media today apparently. I'm not reading into anything about shielding an immature GM. Dubas is a big boy and can handle the media just fine.

Yesterday was on Brendan, he made the hire, he kept Bab's on (with Larry), it was his fire.  Dubas and Keefe are like siamese twins, although the do have some vehement disagreements from time to time apparently, which is a good thing. Great management flourishes when there are no yes men.

 

[Zee]

I have mixed feelings on this. I think I side with Nik and others, that I thought Babcock would finish out the season and would even have the chance to be unsuccessful. I think some are underestimating the success this has had with a very young roster. Even making the playoffs a couple of years ago was over-acheiving. And while I suppose it's easy to dismiss, a 7th game exit to one of the best teams in the league is impressive; at the least, it's not some abject failure.

With regard to their current underachieving, this is much more than just the coach. Some of the players are not playing to their abilities and the roster needs some adjustments.

That said, changing the coach is probably the only practical option aside from just riding it out. I sincerely hope Keefe turns out to be some wonder coach, but you can't deny he has no NHL experience and that it's a risk. As was pointed out previously, this is an important time for this roster with Marner and Matthews on 5 year deals.

Wasting another year wasn?t an option. Maybe Keefe works maybe he doesn?t, but I don?t think Babcock would have gotten this team to turn it around. Too many players just didn?t see eye to eye with him according to reports. Team was playing listless and a change had to be made.

 

[Kin]

I think all the people who are saying things like "Like it or not, X is true" or "They had to do X" might think they're coming off sounding authoritative but it just reads like you don't want to actually build the case for the argument you're making.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1197567095405338624

 

[herman]

Dubas sure loves publicly taking the blame.

https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/1197570136275849217
https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1197570531966537728

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1197571750080462855

 

[Zee]

Dubas sure loves publicly taking the blame.

https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/1197570136275849217
https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1197570531966537728

Babcock would agree that it?s all Dubas? fault

 

[Guilt Trip]

Dubas sure loves publicly taking the blame.

Yup, something Babs refused to do up until yesterday. I think other contributing factors, away from his systems, was how he handled Barrie, Spezza and others. You have a 50-60 point D man and Babs says he has to re-invent himself? Are you kidding me? What he did with Spezza on opening night was also a joke. I posted yesterday that Spezza's numbers are in the top 3 for the Leafs yet he's been scratched 10 times. It was like Dubas brings guys in to play a role and Babs is like, nope, not using them that way. Same as his comments regarding Muzz last year. Just complained that he shot left.

 

[herman]

I found what Babcock was very focused on, in terms of player development, was not pushing their ceilings production-wise, but raising their floors to round out their games. Build up their foundational structure and fundamentals and then layer on opportunities to be creative in safety. I agree with that philosophy in general for a rebuild with a lot of young players, but that is not the right focus for someone already at the peak or end of their development curve.

 

[ZBBM]

Dubas sure loves publicly taking the blame.

https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/1197570136275849217
https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1197570531966537728

It's great that Dubas said those things and I am sure they are sincere on some level but at the same time he didn't finish the sentence like this:

"A lot of the blame should go to me, and therefore I informed Brendan that I am resigning my position effective immediately."

The point being, not that he should resign, but if that consequence isn't really on the table, then it's not all that hard to "take the blame."

Having said that, Dubas owns this lock, stock, and barrel now.  The next person out the door will be him if they don't deliver.

 

[dappleganger]

I found what Babcock was very focused on, in terms of player development, was not pushing their ceilings production-wise, but raising their floors to round out their games. Build up their foundational structure and fundamentals and then layer on opportunities to be creative in safety. I agree with that philosophy in general for a rebuild with a lot of young players, but that is not the right focus for someone already at the peak or end of their development curve.

If you look at Kadri and Rielly, and the young guys Matthews, Marner, Nylander (minus holdout) Dermott, Kapanen, Johnsson, Hyman, they all flourished under Babcock. I think there's something to be said for that when you look at how some other teams often struggle developing their young talent.

 

[herman]

I found what Babcock was very focused on, in terms of player development, was not pushing their ceilings production-wise, but raising their floors to round out their games. Build up their foundational structure and fundamentals and then layer on opportunities to be creative in safety. I agree with that philosophy in general for a rebuild with a lot of young players, but that is not the right focus for someone already at the peak or end of their development curve.

If you look at Kadri and Rielly, and the young guys Matthews, Marner, Nylander (minus holdout) Dermott, Kapanen, Johnsson, Hyman, they all flourished under Babcock. I think there's something to be said for that when you look at how some other teams often struggle developing their young talent.

Our younger players who developed primarily in the NHL are better off having gone through this than to skip to simply leaning into a run and gun style, which is so beholden to shooting percentage for success.

Unfortunately, that philosophy was also applied in game decisions, even when the playoffs were on the line, when I thought it'd be the perfect time to flip the switch. Good teams have the ability to do both: build their game methodically to establish positioning without opening up defensive gaps, and flex into a more aggressive mode to press for chances.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/LeafsAllDayy/status/1197573752416063488

 

[herman]

http://faceoffcircle.ca/2019/11/21/in-firing-babcock-a-rebuild-ends-and-a-new-era-begins/

This was a long read and a good one, but I?m sure some of you will find the can time to pull through.

 

[Bender]

I found what Babcock was very focused on, in terms of player development, was not pushing their ceilings production-wise, but raising their floors to round out their games. Build up their foundational structure and fundamentals and then layer on opportunities to be creative in safety. I agree with that philosophy in general for a rebuild with a lot of young players, but that is not the right focus for someone already at the peak or end of their development curve.

If you look at Kadri and Rielly, and the young guys Matthews, Marner, Nylander (minus holdout) Dermott, Kapanen, Johnsson, Hyman, they all flourished under Babcock. I think there's something to be said for that when you look at how some other teams often struggle developing their young talent.

Our younger players who developed primarily in the NHL are better off having gone through this than to skip to simply leaning into a run and gun style, which is so beholden to shooting percentage for success.

Unfortunately, that philosophy was also applied in game decisions, even when the playoffs were on the line, when I thought it'd be the perfect time to flip the switch. Good teams have the ability to do both: build their game methodically to establish positioning without opening up defensive gaps, and flex into a more aggressive mode to press for chances.

Exactly. I mean you can't be obviously outcoached in back to back playoff rounds, have a bad record going back to mid last year and be terrible out of the gate and sticking to a process that has bad underlying numbers and bad results with the hope that it turns around. You can't tell your team to just keep grinding the same old crap if it's not working. I wonder if Rielly and Tavares told Babcock that they're having trouble executing what they're asking or the results aren't there and asked if they could try something different.

Babcock's been fairly stubborn in what he believes is the right way to win and the lack of even in game adjustments is nuts. It took him how long to adjust the pairings? They sent down Sandin because he had one bad game but he continues to run Rielly/Ceci out there night after night? Come on.

 

[Bullfrog]

http://faceoffcircle.ca/2019/11/21/in-firing-babcock-a-rebuild-ends-and-a-new-era-begins/

This was a long read and a good one, but I?m sure some of you will find the can time to pull through.

Sorry, I'm too busy workin........  lol. Sorry, i tried.

 

[herman]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2019/11/21/kyle-dubas-and-brendan-shanahan-address-the-media-we-are-going-to-go-through-some-changes-stylistically-and-with-our-systems/

Transcript of the Dubas/Shanahan media address from today, November 21, 2019

 

[Strangelove]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2019/11/21/kyle-dubas-and-brendan-shanahan-address-the-media-we-are-going-to-go-through-some-changes-stylistically-and-with-our-systems/

Transcript of the Dubas/Shanahan media address from today, November 21, 2019

Nice to have public recognition of what many people have suspected for years - Babcock's "system" was inconsistent with the skillset of the team and the way the roster is built/designed to play.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/LeafsAllDayy/status/1197602539799240706