Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland announced Friday that the team would allow long-time head coach Mike Babcock to test the waters of the open market and see if any offers materialize which could potentially lure him away from the NHL's Motor City franchise.
"If there is a better situation out there for Mike Babcock, he's earned the right to explore that," Holland said, per Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press.
The 52-year-old Babcock immediately becomes the most sought-after head coaching candidate of this offseason - he already was before the announcement, now it's just official - and will have almost every team in the league hot on the trail of his services.
Frank Seravalli of The Philadelphia Daily News reports that the Philadelphia Flyers and GM Ron Hextall are at the top of the list of interested teams and, perhaps more importantly, Babcock shares their interest.
"According to sources close to him, Babcock is interested in an offer from the Flyers. He is also Ron Hextall's No. 1 target. But that doesn't mean Babcock will ultimately be leaving Detroit."
Of course, Babcock is likey "interested" in an offer from just about any team, including the Flyers, the Maple Leafs, the Oilers, the Devils, etc., etc...
It's not surprising that the Flyers or any other team in the league would be interested in Babcock. After relieving Craig Berube of his duties this offseason, Philadelphia has now had five different head coaches start a season since 2006. Babcock, on the other hand, has a Stanley Cup, two Olympic gold medals and an IIHF World Championship to his name, along with a 527-285-138 career record in 950 games.
Per St. James, Babcock is likely seeking a contract that pays him in the vicinity of $4 million per year, which amounts to double his salary and would make him the league's highest-paid coach.
According to Ansar Khan of MLive.com, any team that wants to talk to Babcock will have to sign a compensation letter with the Red Wings, agreeing to give Holland and the Red Wings a third-round pick sometime in the next three seasons if they actually sign Babcock.
If Hextall is able to successfully court Babcock, he would become the 19th head coach in Flyers history and would, presumably, bring some much-needed stability to the franchise - though it will come at a very, very hefty price.
