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Mike Babcock met with the media following Leafs practice on Wednesday, discussing the success of the Mitch Marner line, Frederik Andersen’s progress, and the decision to swap Martin Marincin for Connor Carrick for tomorrow’s game versus Florida.


Mike Babcock: Any victory is a good victory because it makes you feel good about yourself, so your work seems easier. In saying all of that, I thought we were better in our own zone last night. We still didn’t handle the rush as good as we could’ve at times; they’ve got a real good skill level. We’ve played Florida once already. They’re a dangerous team. Obviously, we’re preparing for tomorrow so we can continue to have success.

How has having two veterans in JVR and Bozak maybe allowed Mitch to hit the ground running this season, do you think?

Babcock: Well, that’s a good question. Mitch has helped those veterans hit the ground running. Obviously, there is a combination of things there. Bozie is good in the faceoff circle and can pass the puck. James can skate and is good at the net. Mitch is on the puck and elite and smart. Those guys have been a good group. The other thing about it is they don’t always draw the hardest matchup. Naz does most of the time. On the road, usually one of Auston or them do. That makes it easier as well.

How much does his tenacity – Marner’s tenacity – elevate his skill set?

Babcock: There is a whole bunch of guys who come into the league with elite skill. They’re good players. Then there’s the odd guy who comes into the league with great skill that has an elite drive train and they become stars. We’re going to watch over time, but he looks to me like he’s a hungry guy for success.

What’s the difference, from your perspective, in playing with the lead in the third period as you guys have this year as opposed to chasing the game as you did mostly last year?

Babcock: Obviously, we can score more goals. We’re still giving up way too many. We haven’t gotten that fixed. But it’s nice to be ahead. The challenge for us it to continue to play and not to watch, and to continue to try to get the next goal. As soon as you try to defend the lead here, it usually goes bad for you. That’s just getting used to winning. It’s been good at home. We’ve got a pretty good record at home. We haven’t established ourselves on the road yet.

Andersen says you can look back to the last game versus Florida as the game when he started to come around, in terms of his play. Have you seen a chance since then, and what aspect might’ve improved?

Babcock: I don’t know exactly when it all clicked in. I don’t look back and think about it like that. I said all along we had a real good goalie in Andie, and know it. I still don’t think he’s at the level he’s capable of being, but he’s sure getting more comfortable. We’re trying to get more comfortable around him. We’re going to continue to limit the two-on-ones and the breakaways. We gave up breakaways last night. We just have to eliminate those things and then he has a chance to be way better. But he’s much more comfortable with the guys and in his own skin here in Toronto, and that’s a good thing for us.

How would you assess Marincin’s play over the last week or so?

Babcock: It’s been an interesting start. He started slow and then he really got it going. I thought he played his best game against the Habs. He’s had some good games and it hasn’t been enough in some of them. He’ll be out tomorrow and Carrick will be in.

When you healthy scratch a player like Connor Carrick, is there a message for him? Is it kind of the cycle of the season when you have so many D?

Babcock: I talked to him, clearly, about that. There was no message. I don’t want guys to try to read my mind. I tell them exactly what I’m thinking. I think Connor is a good player. We’ve talked to him about staying out of too many physical confrontations and using his skating and his skill much more than he was. That’s the challenge for him, but he’s a real good player and we like his upside.

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