Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs made one of the most important free-agent signings in their history on Wednesday when they acquired head coach Mike Babcock. It sounds weird that one of their biggest signings will score no goals and make no saves, but the way this team played this season, Babcock was necessary. That is why they signed him to an eight-year, $50 million deal. That was the biggest in NHL history.
Babcock has one of the biggest uphill battles of any head coach changing addresses. When veteran forward Olli Jokinen was traded to the Maple Leafs this season, he showed his displeasure for the locker room. He spoke on how it wasn’t a healthy place to be. That kind of culture is hard for a coach to turn around, especially one that has a few veterans in it. This will be one of the biggest tasks for Babcock. He needs to make sure this is a positive locker room again, or they won’t go anywhere.
The team even had a ton of problems on the ice as well. Despite playing in the biggest city in Canada, they just don’t have the talent to compete with the rest of the Atlantic Division. They have a few big names, but are seriously lacking in multiple areas.
Start with the biggest area of disappointment — the defense. During the trade deadline, the team traded Cody Franson, quite possibly their best defenseman, to the Nashville Predators. That put a huge hole on the blue line that was never filled. They still have Dion Phaneuf, but to say he underperformed would be an understatement. There is also the possibility the team could trade him to free up cap space. The defense should be the top priority for Babcock and the Leafs this offseason.
Last season, the Maple Leafs saw the second most shots against in the league. The Buffalo Sabres were the only other team who saw more. Because of this, their goalie Jonathan Bernier did not look good for most of the season. He was supposed to come in and lock down a position that has been insecure since Ed Belfour left. That did not happen, as he was ranked 34th in goals against average and 30th in save percentage. Those numbers are not indicative of a playoff goalie. This isn’t Cory Schneider on the New Jersey Devils. The goaltender position is still up in the air in Toronto.
The point of this is simple. Babcock was a great way to start the offseason for the Maple Leafs. If this is their only move, this team still won’t make the playoffs. Larry Tanenbaum, Brendan Shanahan and the rest of the Leafs front office have a lot of work still to be done. They need to find help at all positions. They don’t score, and they allow too many goals. They do every hockey thing wrong. Babcock doesn’t fix that overnight, but he is a very good start.
Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
