Mike Babcock has now been the Leafs head coach for about two and a half seasons and things seem to be going swimmingly, but things could have been very different for the future hall of famer.

It was widely publicized at the time of his decision to sign with the Leafs that the decision had largely come down to either the Buffalo Sabres or the Leafs. Of course, he chose the Leafs and now judging by their distance in the standings, he’s very happy with his decision. Babcock’s famous quote when joining Toronto was that there would be “pain”, in the early seasons, but that hasn’t been true.

Unfortuantely for Buffalo, it’s only been pain since then.

Buffalo’s tanking was supposed to stop by now, and, at the very least, they should be overflowing with young talent. Unfortunately, most analysts have their farm system in the bottom half of the league. Considering Buffalo was considered to be ahead of Toronto in their rebuild at the time of his signing, Babcock was asked about what has gone differently for the two teams.

While that quote is likely more of a compliment to his team than a shot at the Sabres, that can’t feel good for the fans in Buffalo. If it’s any consolation, they do have the second best odds to shoot themselves up the prospect rankings by drafting Rasmus Dahlin.

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Via Tankathon.com