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In today’s links, no shortage of headlines about Mike Babcock calling out the Leafs’ veteran players.
Wednesday Links:
- Alec Brownscombe: Game Review: Preseason Game #6, Sabres 4 vs. Leafs 0 (MLHS)
Among the forwards, exceptions to the rule were Connor Brown and to a lesser extent William Nylander. Perhaps those with the most to play for standing out in a preseason game isn’t a surprising development, but Mike Babcock will have wanted a much sharper effort from his veteran players than what he got tonight as we head toward the final two games of preseason.
I - Jonas Siegel: Babcock calls out Leafs’ veteran forwards after shutout loss (TSN.ca)
“I didn’t think the people that you perceive as our good players were good enough, not even close,” Babcock said, repeating his frustration often after the latest loss. “They’ve got to lead the way. That’s their job.”
I - Emily Sadler: Eric Francis surprised Maple Leafs cut Curtis Glencross (Sportsnet)
“Glencross, I can tell you, at the trade deadline last year, was expecting on the open market to land about a four-year deal, for about $4.25 million a year. That’s $17 million. And now he’s staring at a big fat zero, and wondering if he’ll ever play in the National Hockey League again. I feel terrible for him.”
I - Lance Hornby: Leafs hopeful Clune ‘gives other guys courage’: Babcock (Toronto Sun)
“He’s a great man, that’s what I see,” Babcock said Tuesday morning, after adding the 213-pound Clune to the lineup for the Buffalo exhibition game. “He’s a guy who has struggled off the ice and now has his life totally cleaned up. He’s a very important person to the organization that way. He gives other guys courage.”
I - Matt Cane: Why teams should use 4 forwards on the powerplay (Hockey-Graphs.com)
So where does the upside of the 4F-1D setup actually come from? There are two offensive areas that we could see an increase in if the 4-forward powerplay is actually beneficial: teams may be generating more shot attempts (higher Corsi For per 60), or they may be more likely to convert on the shots that they do get (higher shooting percentage)
I - David Shoalts: Lou Lamoriello’s travel policy not the Leafs’ final turbulence in Toronto (The Globe and Mail)
Lamoriello might have won the first round, but in a rare show of unanimity, senior managers at both Bell and Rogers are unhappy with the policy. These are people who have the ears of Rogers Communications Inc. chief executive officer Guy Laurence and BCE Inc. CEO George Cope, who both sit on the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
I - Kevin McGran: Leafs’ Rielly, Gardiner could be going their separate ways (Toronto Star)
“I haven’t said I liked them,” said Babcock. “They’re just playing together (against Buffalo). I took Gardiner away from Rielly most of camp because I don’t want Jake taking a back seat to him. I want Jake to be a player. “Sometimes when you play with a really good player you end up watching him play. I want Jake to play. He’s a good player, too.”
