I am sure we can count on the haters to provide the most negative view of the Leafs.  However, from a balanced perspective they are playing well against mediocre opponents and have yet to show consistently strong performances against the elite teams in the League.  Babcock has them playing well and winning the games they should be winning.

The elite teams will illustrate the extent of the weaknesses of this club.  But there seems to be little doubt that Babcock has these kids feeling confident that they can win on any given night and to give the required effort to produce the best outcome - win or lose.  That is a good sign for the character of this club.

As to the haters, I await their oft repeated claims of an overpaid coach finally doing something worthwhile that any other coach in the league could do at a fraction of the salary or how the existing rules should be changed because they are not reflective of real hockey.  Blah blah blah....