Sabres making a big-money push
COACH’S CONUNDRUM: Mike Babcock likely debating between staying in Motown or cashing in with Buffalo
The time for talk is quickly coming to an end for Mike Babcock, with his final landing spot seemingly coming down to either Hockeytown or The Queen City.
Along with one last scheduled chat with Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, the pending free agent coach was in contract discussions with Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray on Tuesday. And, given the financial resources of the Sabres, the persistence by Buffalo to woo him seems to be gaining momentum.
But the final say will come from Babcock and his family. To that end, asked by the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday afternoon if he is leaving the Wings, Babcock replied, “Not sure, know by morning.”
Detroit? Buffalo? Those are the two front-runners as the clock ticks down on #babswatch2015.
As the top prize on the coaching market, Babcock’s announcement definitely could come as soon as Wednesday, with word around the league previously suggesting the two-time Olympic gold medalwinning coach was seriously leaning toward staying put in Detroit. But with the Sabres making a late push, the question becomes: Will he take less coin to remain in Motown?
According to mlive.com, the Wings have offered Babcock a four-year deal at $3.25 million US per. While that would make him the league’s highest-paid coach, surpassing the $2.75 million US salary of the Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville, a number of teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Sabres are reported to be willing to go much higher, perhaps in the $5-millionUS-per-season range.
Would the Wings be willing to up their reported offer? If so, by how much?
In Buffalo, cash is no issue for moneybags Sabres owner Terry Pegula, with a source telling the Sun on Tuesday that a five-year deal in the general neighbourhood of $25 million US was being discussed with Babcock.
Pegula, who managed to make his NFL Bills relevant on the national landscape again in just five months thanks to the hiring of head coach Rex Ryan and a number of key trades (LeSean McCoy) and free agent signings (Percy Harvin, Charles Clay), can be very influential. Moreover, the Sabres do seem to have more of an upside than other rebuilding teams like the Leafs thanks to young players such as Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart and the imminent selection of Jack Eichel with the second overall pick in the June NHL draft.
Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, who played for Babcock in Detroit during the 2005-06 season, could also meet Babcock’s financial asking price, given the deep pockets of parent company MLSE. What the Leafs president can’t provide, however, is a talent base that can rival the young stable of prospects the Sabres will have when training camp kicks off in September.
Keep in mind that Tim Murray and Babcock were with the Ducks from 2002-04 while Babcock served as the Anaheim bench boss.
With the Philadelphia Flyers taking themselves out of the Babcock sweepstakes on Monday by hiring North Dakota’s Dave Hakstol to be their new coach, the Wings, Sabres, Leafs, St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks were the remaining teams interested in Babcock’s services.
“Just going to revisit everything one more time (with Holland),” Babcock told mlive.com of his scheduled Tuesday discussion with the Wings GM. “I’ve talked to all the teams I’m talking to.”
“I learned a lot,” he added. “I talked to lots of good people. I kept Kenny abreast the whole time.
“We’ll talk one more time (Tuesday) and then I’ll sit down with my family one more time (Tuesday) night and make a decision.”
If a team other than the Red Wings signs Babcock, it will have to send a third-round pick to Detroit as compensation.
Interestingly, if the Sabres miss out on Babcock, they may turn their attention to Luke Richardson, coach of Ottawa’s AHL farm team in Binghamton. Richardson and Murray have ties dating back to the days when both were in the Senators organization and Murray’s duties included overseeing the operation in Binghamton.