Babcock calls out of of his young stars after a tough loss.

The recent performance of the Toronto Maple Leafs has left their head coach less than satisfied, and on Wednesday night the displeasure of head coach Mike Babcock was made very public.

While addressing the media after a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild Babcock singled out young forward William Nylander for criticism, stating that the  20-year-old forward needed a lot of work if he hoped to remain at the National Hockey League level.

"The reality is, for him to play centre in NHL he's going to have to get way better defensively, way more competitive," said Babcock as per TSN's Mark Masters.

It's rough criticism of a player who shined so brightly as a winger earlier in the season, but it's clear the Leafs are hoping that Nylander can blossom into a bonafide #1 or #2 center in the NHL and the pressure is on. 

Nylander is currently playing on the fourth line with less than elite wingers at his disposal, and some have questioned the decision to attempt to develop him as a center under those circumstances, it will be interesting to see how the young forward responds to being called out by his coach.

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