Report: Red Wings Allowing Babcock To Talk With Other Teams
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - As Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock ponders whether to re-sign with Detroit, the Red Wings are allowing him to talk with other teams, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN.
DET has granted Mike Babcock permission to talk to other NHL teams. Window open til late May. Doesn't mean Babcock leaving DET, window open.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 8, 2015
That window opens at 12 noon ET today. So Babcock will gauge interest and then make a decision on his future.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 8, 2015
Babcock and Holland decided on this course of action while driving to Grand Rapids last weekend. DET obviously wants Babcock back...
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 8, 2015
The Red Wings held exclusive negotiating rights with Babcock through June, but general manager Ken Holland said after the season that he and Babcock both had no intention of letting the process drag out that long. Detroit wants Babcock to return - Holland made that clear after the season and said he has told Babcock as much - but if a deal cannot be reached, both sides want time to be able to make other arrangements.
Babcock has coached the Red Wings for 10 years, and while he often expresses how good the organization has been to him and how much he loves Detroit, he has raised questions about the ability of the team to continue to win as stars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk age and the Red Wings continue to pick low in the first round of the draft because the team keeps making the playoffs.
Babcock said the two factors in his decision will be the opportunity to win and what his wife wants.
Holland has said money will be no object, which is important given Babcock is expected to become the most highly paid coach in the league. Money should not be an issue, then, and the coach said power is not the issue either. Babcock said he has neither the skill set nor the desire to be a general manager.