TORONTO – Perhaps it was only fitting that the Toronto Maple Leafs exhausted every bit of charity while playing in front of their hometown fans for the final time in this free-pass season.
No one who came through the turnstiles at Air Canada Centre for the final time in 2015-16 did so with the intent of booing. There were no waffles snuck in under jackets, or even the faintest possibility a white and blue-crested sweater might find its way onto the ice.
The players spoke with certainty about these things before losing 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets and firmly grabbing hold of 30th overall with just days to go in the regular season.
Jake Gardiner said he understood why the fans were so angry last year, but added: “It’s been nice this year to kind of have them off our back. They kind of realize what’s going on here too.”
Everyone did.
It was clear the day Mike Babcock was hired to coach the team last May, and clear the day they sent the kids to the American Hockey League after training camp. There was no mystery all season long, really, and considerably less unrest than we’ve seen here in more than a decade.
So even as the final minutes ticked down on a game where the Blue Jackets had just put three pucks past beleaguered Garret Sparks in quick succession, there were brief outbursts of “Go Leafs Go!” from those left in the building.
The mood was oddly upbeat, and full of heart. It was the truest sign yet that the paying customers are on board with the Shanaplan.
“They’re being kind to us tonight, let’s not kid ourselves,” said Babcock. “If I was watching that game …”
At that point, the matter-of-fact coach was unfortunately cut off by a follow-up question, but the look on his face suggested that he probably wouldn’t have been so understanding.
For while he appreciates the support, he knows how big the mountain ahead is. And he surely knows that the goodwill won’t last forever.
“There’s lots of good things that are going on in the organization – I think we all know that, we’ve been watching it – but tonight wasn’t one of those things, though, so let’s not kid ourselves,” said Babcock. “That effort and the execution of that effort was not good enough. It’s unacceptable. We’ve given lots of players in our organization opportunities to play; some have said they want to be on the team and some have said they’re not going to be on the team.
“That’s just the way it is, and that’s the business – that’s the hard part of the business, but everyone can’t be on the team.”
The Leafs will wrap up the year with games in Philadelphia on Thursday and New Jersey on Saturday. They are guaranteed to finish last if they earn no more than two points in those games – a pretty safe bet given the current lineup and the Flyers’ continued chase for a playoff spot.
That means they’re likely to end up with a 20 per cent chance to claim the No. 1 pick in the April 30 draft lottery – something the organization hasn’t held since taking Wendel Clark in 1985.
By the time they return here to play games again they’ll be embarking on a much more aspirational season. Expectations will be a little bit higher and the fans slightly less patient.
Plans are afoot for a yearlong celebration of the organization’s centennial and the focus will not be exclusively on a roster teardown. Babcock wants his players held to more account and true building blocks are expected to be put in place.
The Leafs largely escaped criticism this season because everyone knew what this was about. But the fact remains that this path is going to hit some snags and dead ends, and that’s assuming it works at all.
While there is no need to make too much of the fact Toronto was blown out by the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, the coach did wonder aloud if the players soon heading back to the AHL Marlies would do so with a heightened understanding of how they need to play.
“You turn pucks over, you don’t play well without (the puck), it ends up in your net,” said Babcock. “We turned the puck over way too much tonight. Hopefully the young guys that are going down and playing in the Calder Cup playoffs, it should be a real good reminder to them.
“You turn the puck over you can’t win. It’s impossible. The message should be loud and clear.”
On this night the message didn’t come from the fans and that’s a sign of baby steps taken.
However, beyond the draft lottery and AHL playoff run and free agency, the Leafs will find themselves with a higher bar to clear.
