Mike Babcock finally responds to rumours of feud with GM Kyle Dubas

Some people see to believe the Toronto Maple Leafs are heading towards a nasty divorce between head coach Mike Babcock and general manager Kyle Dubas. 

Why? 

On Monday, the Maple Leafs head coach questioned organizational depth and it got people wondering, and this includes NHL insiders: what is going on in Toronto? It wasn’t the first time Babcock has taken shots at management for not filling the holes on the roster ever since the team was pretty quiet at the trade deadline.

“All good players, let’s not kid yourself, you’re way better when you have all guys on deck,/” Babcock said Monday. “The thing about a team is you have 23 spots on it and you have a minor-league team, you’re supposed to build the best program you can to have as much depth so you don’t miss people.

“If you have enough, you don’t miss a beat and you just keep on going. There are other teams that have done a better job when different players are out than we have in keeping on going. That just tells you what state you’re at and you have to keep adding better players.”

The rumors of Babcock being in trouble in Toronto have recently intensified. It even got Elliotte Friedman thinking: 

“The focus should be on repairing the problems and focusing on the playoffs. This is too important a time of year. Babcock’s not walking away, but is anyone else wondering if this marriage is in trouble?”

Finally on Friday, Babcock had had enough of the rumours and commented on his analysis and delivered an apology to anyone who was hurt by his words. 

Here is his full statement, per TSN’s Kristen Shilton: 

For now, Babcock and Dubas will focus on the last stretch and the upcoming playoffs and are expected to forget about this feud.