Really, it took losing five games in a row for the Toronto Maple Leafs to try this?
It’s not like Morgan Rielly has looked horrible defensively from the start of the season, or that Cody Ceci should not be getting top minutes against the best players in the NHL.
Even the fact that Justin Holl has been one of the Leafs best defensemen as of late. It took Babcock a whole season to see that and it’s taken 22 games this season to decide that this defense isn’t working, right now.
But the new pairings, they might just work:
It’s not much, but subtle changes could be what’s needed for the Leafs to succeed.