Former NHLer Giguere thinks Babcock will spark Kessel and Phaneuf

Experience speaks for itself.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender J.S. Giguere, who played under Mike Babcock during his time with the Anaheim Ducks, told Sportsnet's Dean Blundell & Co. on Friday that he believes the new Maple Leafs head coach will be able to turn around the team's big names.

From Mike Johnston at Sportsnet:

Giguere, who was coached by Babcock for two seasons in Anaheim, feels the new Leafs bench boss will be able to spark Kessel and Phaneuf better than previous Leafs coaches and see them return to the calibre of players who warranted $64- and $49-million contract extensions, respectively.

The netminder, who won 262 games in his NHL career, had nothing but praise for his former coach.

"He’s very smart that way, very ahead of the times, and it should be pretty refreshing for the players," said Giguere. "I remember when I had him as a coach, we all respected him.

"He’s a great coach, he’s super intense and I think the Leafs can use that," continued Giguere. "There’s no doubt about that. At the end of the day, if you’re serious about winning and you’re serious about getting better and improving as a team, well he’s the guy for it."

Giguere went on to compare Babcock to former Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, whom he also played for in Anaheim.

"Randy is definitely more of an in-your-face type of coach, you know yelling at you and stuff like that. Even though he’s a good coach, that wears very thin on the players very fast,” Giguere explained. “I think Babs uses lots of psychology. He tries to get in your head, but he has a different way for every player."

Giguere retired from hockey in August of 2014.