Babcock will have plenty of offers.
Moments after the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs, head coach Mike Babcock was asked about his future in the city he has called home for the past 10 years.
“I’m not talking about that now,” he said, rather curtly. “We’ll have a meeting and final news conference, I’ll be happy to talk about that crap then.”
And yet, in his post-game remarks on Wednesday, Babcock kept hinting at the socalled “crap” that has been bubbling beneath the surface all season long.
He did not so much as say he wanted out of Detroit. But if you read between the lines, it made it seem like his house will be up for sale soon.
On whether this team can still compete for a Stanley Cup: “Our team’s not as good as it was. It’s very evident. We battled our butt off to get into the playoffs.”
On the age of the current roster: “Three of our best players (Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk) are 34, 35, (36).”
On the quality of the organization’s prospects: “We’ve got lots of good young players, no question about it, and ideally we’ve got some good ones coming. But who’s going to replace (Datsyuk)?”
For a coach who did not want to talk about his future, Babcock sure sounded like a coach who will not be returning to Detroit.
Then again, free agency can change a lot of things. Maybe the Red Wings, who still have Zetterberg and Datsyuk as their leading scorers, a promising young No. 1 goalie in Petr Mrazek and a crop of young players of varying degrees of ability, are just a free agent or two away from convincing Babcock to stay.
Of course, they are not the only team vying for his services this summer. Here are seven spots where he could be coaching next season:
DETROIT
Could Babcock return to the team he has coached for the past decade? Of course he could. The Red Wings organization is built on loyalty. It is why players like Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg have never played elsewhere, even though they had chances to possibly make more money. It is clear that Babcock is growing tired of being a noncontender (“Right now on the outside, they don’t pick us as a Stanley Cup contender”), but landing a couple of topfour defencemen like Francois Beauchemin, Christian Ehrhoff, Andrej Sekera or Cody Franson could solve some of these problems.
PITTSBURGH
The Penguins have thrown their support behind firstyear head coach Mike Johnston, but would Babcock’s availability — and interest — change things? Babcock coached Sidney Crosby to two Olympic gold medals and coached against him in two Stanley Cup finals, so he knows what the Penguins captain can do. And while the Penguins have underachieved in the playoffs recently mostly because of injuries, the window is wide open for them to win more championships.
EDMONTON
Connor McDavid convinced GM Peter Chiarelli to come to Edmonton. Could Babcock also be swayed? No question, the Oilers have a lot of untapped potential. They just need a coach to teach the young players how to play the right way. For Babcock, the allure is obvious. Not only do you get to coach the best young player in the game, you also get Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. You essentially get a roster of No. 1 picks to shape and mould into perennial Cup contenders.
SAN JOSE
Babcock might not want to go from one past-its-prime roster to another. But there are differences between San Jose and Detroit. The Sharks, for example, have young players who have already taken over the offensive load from the veterans. Joe Pavelski led the team with 37 goals and 70 points this season, while Logan Couture was second with 27 goals and 67 points. There is clearly dysfunction from the dressing room on out. But even if Joe Thornton (65 points) and Patrick Marleau (57 points) stay, maybe all the Sharks need is a new voice behind the bench to get them back on track.
PHILADELPHIA
Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek are not exactly Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but they are a one-two offensive punch that makes Philadelphia an interesting spot. The Flyers are an organization that historically is not afraid to swing for the fences and alter the roster. More importantly, they have an owner who is not afraid to spend. With a strong secondhalf to the season, a goaltender in Steve Mason who at .928 was among the save percentage leaders and a GM in Ron Hextall who is quickly gaining respect around the league, Philadelphia might make a lot of sense.
TORONTO
This seemingly most unlikely fit is also the likeliest, simply because the Leafs can potentially offer the most money to Babcock. Is that enough to get a coach who has made the playoffs for the past 10 years to take over a rebuild that is in its infancy? Again, it sounds unlikely. But with Leafs president Brendan Shanahan still looking for a GM, perhaps Babcock would be interested in a new position where he can play a role in shaping the roster like Patrick Roy is doing in Colorado.
BUFFALO
They didn’t win the chance to draft McDavid, but the Sabres are still going to end up with Jack Eichel (a No. 1 pick in most other years). Along with Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov and Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo has the foundation of a young roster that should be competitive for years. Now, they just need a coach to teach the kids. Buffalo, where former Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman also coached, would also keep Babcock close to the Detroit area.