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Mike Babcock expected to decide on coaching role Wednesday

By Kyle Franzoni

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Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock is the hottest commodity in the NHL, and he could decide where he is coaching in 2015-16 very soon.

Free agency doesn’t begin in the National Hockey League until July 1st, but the biggest free agent may come off the board as soon as Wednesday morning. Mike Babcock, who has guided the Detroit Red Wings for the last decade, has his current deal with Detroit expected to expire on June 30th. However, the coach is expected to choose where he will be coaching next season well in advance of that date.

As of Wednesday morning, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN has noted that Babcock is currently entertaining offers to return to Detroit or take on coaching roles with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, or San Jose Sharks.  The St. Louis Blues are also lingering in the background.

According to LeBrun, all teams involved are being very competitive in their pursuit. Babcock was said to have met with the Sabres Tuesday morning and has exchanged multiple emails with the team in recent days. Additionally, the coach has also been in communication this week with the Red Wings, and both Buffalo and Detroit were believed to be the favorites heading towards Babcock’s decision on Wednesday.

However, that seems to have changed at we get closer to decision time, with rumors now floating that both Detroit and Buffalo are out of the running:

Granted, these are “sources” indicating that two major players are out of the running, but nothing has been confirmed to date. That said, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News is indicating that the Red Wings are making out at $4 million a season, which is double what Babcock makes now and they are still not in the ballpark.

It seems like the going consensus is that Babcock will wind up in Toronto. According to Harrington, the Leafs private jet is scheduled to fly from Toronto to Detroit this afternoon, which may be a prelude to a press conference to announce Babcock as the team’s newest coach.

Rescuing a Maple Leafs franchise that has missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons would certainly be a feather in Babcock’s cap. A coach in Detroit, Babcock has taken the Red Wings to the postseason in each of his 10 seasons at the helm. That includes a Stanley Cup win in 2008 and two Western Conference Championships.

Despite all of the rumors and speculation, Babcock led the Red Wings to a 43-25-14 record in 2014-15, a season that ended with a seven-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lighting in the first round. He owns a lifetime record of 527-285-19.

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