Youth fuels and imperils Maple Leafs through first quarter of season
TORONTO — In the heated aftermath of a loss in New Jersey earlier this week, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock remarked that it was “evident how young we are”.
Though he retreated from that stance somewhat Friday afternoon, it proved an accurate description of the club’s first quarter this season. Youth has both fuelled and imperilled the Leafs after 20 games.
“We do lots of good things. We do lots of silly things,” Babcock said after the team’s most recent practice. “And we’ve gotten a lot better, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
What’s good is obvious.