from Cathal Kelly of the Globe And Mail,

Evidently, the Leafs have spent the past four years walking in a huge spiral. They’ve returned to Mumbo Jumbo Land.

Of course, it is not possible for Babcock to wish his team better or for Dubas to remake it on the fly. But calling a duck a duck would be a good start.

The paying customers aren’t kidding themselves about the Leafs not being much good right now, or that Nylander is a short-term bust, or that Matthews needs less hand-holding and more head-slapping.

So, one must ask whom exactly Babcock and Dubas think they’re fooling?

The bad option is the fans. A worse one is the roster. The nuclear option is themselves.

The onus to start speaking sensibly here falls not on the players, but the coach. Babcock has been handsomely rewarded for four years to win lottery picks, lose games and sound folksy. Credit to him – it’s worked so far. His presence shielded the youngest players from the feral instincts of Toronto news media and supporters. As long as he seemed confident that it would work out, his résumé suggested it would.

But people have stopped believing that quite so guilelessly.

more