It makes no sense to me.
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O’Connor credits a Saturday practice session with goalie coach Rick Wamsley for allowing him to work out some bugs and to get over any nerves. “To me, the tougher the situation gets, the more you learn”.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a quick rebuild, best to have one of the fastest skaters in the world on the roster, right? The on-ice portion begins Friday in Bedford, N.S., and that’s when players will get an up-close look at what made Babcock a Stanley Cup- and gold medal-winning coach.
The depth chart on defence is entirely unsettled, too, aside from Babcock praising both captain Dion Phaneuf and Jake Gardiner on Thursday.
Neither Babcock nor Lou Lamoriello, the Leafs new general manager, for matter, would offer much in the way of expectations.
“I think that whenever you play Detroit with Mike there you always marveled at their puck possession”, Daniel Winnik said of the Red Wings, “and just how they would move it around through the neutral zone, breakout. Everything’s crystal clear”. Several players said they aren’t used to the kind of personal attention they have received from Babcock, who made several calls to players over the summer to see how things were going. But then he’s just preaching the choir when it comes to Leafs fans and their appetites. Brouillard went down injured in last night’s game versus the Penguins rookies, but his invite to camp suggests the injury isn’t going to keep him from continuing his audition. “That’s good news for everyone”.
Now it’s up to the players, especially those who want bigger roles, to show Babcock what they’ve got. He wouldn’t even watch video of their past performance, he said, preferring instead to re-emphasize their clean slate with the revamped coaching staff. “Everyone’s got a fresh start and it’ll be good for everyone with a new coach, a lot of new faces”.
The deal was announced on the Maple Leafs’ official website, with the Islanders receiving Taylor Beck, Carter Verhaeghe, Matt Finn, Tom Nilsson and Christopher Gibson. Michael Grabner only has one year left on his contract, so expect him to be dealt at some point towards the trade deadline in February.
The Leafs have a number of veterans coming to training camp on professional tryouts, including Curtis Glencross, Brad Boyes, Devin Setoguchi and Mark Fraser.
“Can they play or can they not?”
Grabner has now become the eighth quality impending UFA on the Leafs roster, and he has a great chance of finishing the season elsewhere. “He wants the guys to be ready for a tough training camp, and I think that’s good”.
For Babcock, that includes goaltending, where Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer are back as a tandem. Babcock said his aim is to try to improve that. “Let’s decide who wants to play”.
Players who have been released to return to their junior teams include forwards Bradley Latour, Scott Eansor, Nikita Korostelev and JJ Piccinich, defencemen Cameron Lizotte and Brenden Miller, and goaltender Justin Nichols.
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But now, Babcock says, none of that matters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be coach of the Leafs.
