TORONTO — The lines of communication opened not long after Mike Babcock was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And as soon as Morgan Rielly returned to Toronto, he got an audience with his new head coach.
“We had some good conversations this off-season — he would call me and we’d talk for however long — but then when I got here [last week] I went to the rink and he quickly pulled me aside,” Rielly told Sportsnet on Tuesday. “We just had a light-hearted conversation.”
With players officially scheduled to report for duty next week, the 21-year-old defenceman expects the tone to change quickly.
“Once training camp gets going I think it’ll be a bit more heated,” said Rielly. “But, you know, I think that’s great. I think that’s what we need. Having a guy like him is helpful.”
Babcock was the biggest addition during a summer of tremendous upheaval for the Leafs. Arriving with an impeccable resume and signed to a record-breaking eight-year, $50-million contract, there is no question about who wields the most power inside the team’s dressing room.
However, it’s clear that Babcock is making a concerted effort to build trust with his players.
The coach has spoken about the need to create an environment around the team where everyone feels safe, and he’s spent a good chunk of time laying the groundwork on new relationships since being hired May 20.
“I’ve had the opportunity to talk to him quite a bit,” said captain Dion Phaneuf, who had met Babcock previously during a couple of Olympic orientation camps with Team Canada.
When asked what he expected from the coach, a smile came across his face.
“If I can pick one word it would be ‘structure,”‘ said Phaneuf. “He’s very organized and his teams play a very structured brand of hockey. He gets a lot out of his teams.
“You look at Detroit and how they’ve played for so many years: They’re a very uptempo team, they’re puck possession, but they can adapt to different styles of play.”
What he’ll also bring is a level of accountability that was sorely lacking while the Leafs won just nine of their final 42 games last season after Peter Horachek replaced Randy Carlyle as coach on an interim basis.
The memory of that disastrous finish seemed distant as Rielly and Phaneuf made the rounds at the NHL’s player media tour on Tuesday morning. While some small scars remain, both players hope they’ll serve as motivation more than anything else.
“A lot of life lessons you learn aren’t always easy,” said Rielly. “I think last year I learned a lot of those.”
Now the page has been turned.
Phaneuf seemed relaxed and rejuvenated after a summer spent with family at his off-season home on Prince Edward Island. He even got a visit from Rielly, who described that trip as the highlight of his entire summer.
“That place is pretty special,” said Rielly. “I just decided to book a flight and it was worth it. It was really cool. I was out there for Canada Day, just hung out with him. He was a great host.”
Now they are back together and will soon be adjusting to life under a coach who has won at every possible level.
It’s an opportunity Phaneuf wasn’t sure he would even get when the Leafs cleaned out their lockers last spring and one he plans to relish.
“It’s a fresh start,” he said. “[Last season] was one of the toughest years I’ve been through as a player. But, with saying that, that’s part of pro sports. You’re going to go through tough times.
“I feel it’s how you respond to that and how you bounce back from it, really that’s what you’re judged on.”
