It seems we may soon have a winner in the Mike Babcock sweepstakes.
According to a report from John Wawrow of The Associated Press, the Buffalo Sabres and Babcock have begun negotiating a contract which could potentially make the long-time Detroit Red Wings bench boss the latest head coach for the storied Sabres franchise.
"Though a deal has not been completed, Mike Babcock has been in negotiations with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday regarding the possibility of becoming their next head coach," writes Wawrow.
"The talks took place between Babcock and Sabres general manager Tim Murray and began early in the day, a person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks are private and the Sabres have not publicly discussed their coaching search to replace Ted Nolan, who was fired last month."
Adam Benigni of WGRZ.com confirmed Wawrow's report shortly thereafter.
Per Wawrow, obstacles remain to a deal getting done.
"The person stressed said there were still a 'few more deal points' to work out, and there was no agreement yet in place. Murray spent part of the afternoon in meetings with team scouts."
Babcock remains under contract with the Detroit Red Wings through June 30, but Wings GM Ken Holland gave the uber-successful head coach permission to seek out opportunities elsewhere.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports that Babcock has spoken with the Buffalo brass about a contract, but that "negotiations" have not been as involved as Wawrow suggests.
"A Sabres source told ESPN.com that Babcock spoke again briefly with Buffalo on Tuesday morning and also exchanged emails with general manager Tim Murray about the team's second offer to him," LeBrun writes.
"The source said the Sabres made a second contract offer to Babcock over the past weekend."
Babcock has made it clear he would like to become the highest-paid coach in NHL history. The Sabres owners, the Pegulas', should have no problem fulfilling that desire.
Babcock has not to this point ruled out returning to Detroit, but it sounds like Buffalo may be making a big push to land the notoriously fierce competitor.
This article has been updated.
