Mike Babcock will be back for his fifth year as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie on Monday, Maple Leafs' general manager Kyle Dubas established he has no intentions of letting Babcock leave Toronto.
“We’re all in on Mike and Mike is all in on us," Dubas said. "We’ve had productive management meetings as an organization and Mike and I have had some really good meetings as well since the season ended. It’s our very strong belief Mike is the one to lead us, that’s the reality of it.”
Mike Babcock will be back as head coach in TOR. Leaf GM Kyle Dubas, when asked about Babcock’s status:
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) 6 May 2019
“We’re all in on Mike and Mike is all in on us. We’ve had productive management meetings as an organization and Mike and I have had some really good meetings as well...
Babcock led Toronto to a 46-28-8 record this season and finished third in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs reached the playoffs for the third consecutive year under Babcock, but they have failed to escape the first round. The franchise has not won a playoff series since 2004.
Confirmation that Babcock's back - not even officially halfway through his contract yet - comes after some perspective in the Boston series. 1) Bruins are good 2) yes, he could've handled some issues better in playoffs but a team still needs structure over 82 games to get there
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) 6 May 2019
The Manitouwadge, Ont. native signed an eight-year contract with Toronto in 2015 with a reported value of $50 million, making him the highest-paid coach in NHL history.
Despite this vote of confidence in his head coach, Dubas said there is still room for growth with his young team.
“There are things we need to improve upon. There are things we need to do to adapt and evolve and continue to get better. As an organization, we believe we can do that together.”