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Mike Babcock addressed the media on locker clean out day following the end of the 2016-17 season.


Married with three kids. You’ve spent a lot of time with this team. You’ve dedicated a lot. What does your wife want you to do now that the season is over?

Babcock: Whatever she tells me. Obviously, I’m really lucky. I’m blessed with a beautiful wife and three great kids. Family is the number-one priority in my life without any question. We do a good job of being in contact with our kids all the time and having them be part of our life. I have a nice lake place that I spend a lot of time at. My kids get there quite a bit. I’ll enjoy the offseason. The great thing about my job is you can do it from where you’re at. We have a big summer for Shanny, Lou and myself and the guys. We’ve got to improve our hockey club. We’re going to do that and do the the work and get it done. But I think it’s important to recharge, too, and have good quality family time.

You talked last year about how there might not be enough players for the job. Was that internal competition this year the best example of how the organization has grown?

Babcock: For sure. Just in the exit meetings today, you’re telling guys you have to come back and win a job. That’s just the reality. We’ll have more people coming. I think that’s what it’s all about. The more competition you have internally for those jobs, the better opportunity you’re going to have for success long term. We’re not good enough. I’ve said it before – if you look at Tampa, and the quality organization they are, they still almost got in the playoffs with the injuries we had. That wouldn’t have been possible for us. We’re not at that level yet where that’s possible. We’ve got to continue to stay healthy but we’ve got to grow our group, too. We’ve got to get much deeper as an organization. It was an unbelievable, positive year for us. We made the playoffs. But we finished eighth and we’re out. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we understand that as an organization. I think it’s important to enjoy the small steps you make or the big steps you make and get ready and understand how hard it’s going to be. It’s hard to make the playoffs in the NHL.

Now that the season is done, as the head coach of the Leafs, what’s going to keep you up at night? Will anything keep you up at night over the summer?

Babcock: I sleep pretty good, period. I’m not one of those guys that stays up at night. I sleep fast when I get a chance and enjoy it. To be honest with you, I’m going to enjoy the summer the best I can. I’m going to go to the World Championships right away. There are a few players we’ve identified that I want to see. I’m going to do that. Obviously, the Memorial Cup is in Windsor. I’ll get a chance to do that. Whatever hockey opportunity we have, I’ll be at. We’ll get prepared for next year. We have to improve our hockey club. We understand that, so that’s what we’re going to go about doing.

What is a reasonable expectation, you think, for next year?

Babcock: That’s a good question. We want to make the playoffs. In today’s NHL, you look at the teams that missed this year that are really good teams that plan on being in next year… it’s going to be a battle for us. To just think we’re at the level where it’s automatic, it’s not for us. We talked about Washington. You want to be a team in that situation that you’re in the playoffs every year. When the puck is dropped at the start of the season, you know. It’s just about how far you play in the Spring. That’s what we want to get to, but we’re not at that level.

Has that expectation changed at all in your mind or Lou’s mind, based on how the season went?

Babcock: Obviously, we had a good year. I thought, when Lou was willing to spend a second-round pick to get Boyle, it was an indication that we need to get in the playoffs. We thought it was good for our growth and development. I think we’ve created an expectation amongst our fans and our city and I understand all of that. With Shanny, Lou and myself, we have a plan here to build a program and that’s what we are going to do. This isn’t going to make us deviate from anything we’re doing whatsoever. We’re just going to keep building the program. As you see all the teams in the league, you see how many good teams there are, how hard it is to make the playoffs, and then how lucky and fortunate you have to be with injuries to win the Cup in the end. We’d like to put ourselves in a position to do that here one day sooner than later. We’ll just keep focused on what we’re doing and improving our club.

Can you measure the impact of your coaching staff in acclimating a young group to the NHL as quickly as they did?

Babcock: I think the guys do a good job. Steve Briere did a real good job, and [Andrew Brewer] and [Jordan Bean] with what they do behind closed doors, and Jim Hiller on the power play, and DJ with our defence and our penalty kill. Expectations are interesting in life. For some organizations, if you finish eighth and you’re done after six games, it’s a tough, tough year for you. When you’ve been where we are, it’s a good year for you. I think the consistency that you want out of a player, you want out of a team. In order to be consistent as a team, you’ve got to build something that has enough depth that you can do it time in and time out. The coaching staff has to do their part without any question. The management team does. Everyone has to do their part. Players do. I think the guys did a good job. We enjoy the players a lot here. I think we have a pretty good time with them. We push them hard. We’ll continue to do that.

Looking ahead to next season, do you think it’s important to name a captain?

Babcock: No.

When you go to the whiteboard this summer, how much change are you expecting, and do you see William Nylander maybe being a center next year?

Babcock: No, Willy is not going to be a center next year, and there will be changes.

Just for clarification – Nikita Zaitsev was cleared to play and return to the playoffs, but not so for the Worlds?

Babcock: He’s playoff-ready, but doesn’t feel as good or needs time. Because we have been given the opportunity to do that, he’s not going to play for his country at the Worlds and he’s going to get 100% healthy. If you go through our whole group, we’ve got some banged up guys. I think it’s important for Nikita to get as healthy as he can. It was a big year for him. He played in the World Championships last year, played in the World Cup, played all year for us. He played more hockey than he’s ever played and it was great. He needs to get freshened up.

What was part of the message to Auston Matthews in your exit meeting?

Babcock: Get home. Enjoy your mom and dad and your sisters. Get healthy, and then get to work. One thing about Auston: He wants to be the best player. Guys who want to be the best player usually don’t have too much trouble bearing down and getting to work. He’s a worker anyway, so… I thought it was a good year for Auston. He enjoyed the city. The city enjoyed him. He’s a good player. But he needs to get better, and he knows it.

How big of a learning experience were the playoffs for the young kids on the team, and how much better do you expect them to be next year because of the learning experience?

Babcock: I don’t know how you measure it exactly, but I think it was a huge deal for us. It was great that we were able to play a good team like Washington who gave you no space and no room and you had to really dig in. I thought that was positive as well. In saying all of that, the guys need to enjoy a couple of weeks off and they’ve got to get to work. When you look at the roster, we’ve got a bunch of guys who need to put meat on their bones. They’re young guys. We’ve got some guys who need to get quicker and lighter. We’ve got other guys who need to develop their bodies more. We’ve got lots of work to do this offseason. The playoffs are going to help. Having success this year and having different expectations, being in an environment… the environment here is spectacular. Second to none. It’s great, and the guys have had a taste of it now. They’re going to want to have that. In order to have that, we’ve got to get better.

Auston said he’s not going to be participating in the World Championships. Why do you think that’s the best course of action for him to get away from game action and worry about getting work done off the ice?

Babcock: We met with Auston and made that decision. We’re in full support of that decision. Each and every guy, based on how their body feels at this time of year… Auston is no different than Zaitsev. He was at the World Championships and then it was World Cup and then he played. It’s been a long year for players. Whatever you’ve got to do to be set up to go, if it was going to be beneficial for you to go and you could help your team, then I think that is important as well. These guys, him and Zaitsev, have always stepped up for the country and want to step up for their country. I don’t think that’s an issue whatsoever. But, at this time, they both and we feel, this is the best option for them.