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I can see it now.... -babs goes to buffalo -toronto fans try to claim they'll outbid detroit for blashill -blashill signs in detroit -toronto is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match. A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization. If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff). I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

Get tons of money and you get to take every Spring off. Who can blame him.

One for Babcock speculation and one for Babcock landing spot analysis. We need one for Babcock conjecture.

Did we really need 2 threads on Babcock? Isn't one enough?

Just goes to show everyone is just grasping at straws for that media attention.

.how is it "official"? Yesterday he for sure wasn't going to the leafs, today he for sure is going to Toronto?

If Babs goes to Toronto he will come to regret that decision.

Heh, fake LeBrun is better at breaking news than LeBrun.

I'm waiting for a Mike Babcock press conference live on NHL to happen. Where Babs says "The team I have chosen is..." then he stands up, rips off his suit and tie to reveal an nWo t-shirt.

Still $5M a year, which Detroit can match, BUT for 6 years is the bad part. We's for sure lose Blash and then we'd be stuck with questionable line combos or another 6 years and never really see what Pulk and Jurco can do...let alone see Mantha, AA or Larkin on a top line. Heck, Weiss, Smith and Jurco would be all but gone with Babs here, and Howard would too come deadline day...I say let him go to Buffalo, let him try is hand at building a winner instead of inheriting one, plus he gets Jack Eichel, a franchise player. I am not mad if he goes, I would be mad though, if Blash leaves our organization, he knows the kids better than anyone....Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Sheahan, Mrazek, Pulkky, Ferraro, Callahan, Marchenko, Jensen, Ouellet, Sproul, AA...Who else would be better coaching those guys? Maybe when the decision is made, Babs can call LeBron and get his help in making the announcement... If Babs take Detroit offer, say goodbye to Blashill...say hello to Abby on the top line and Helm on the 2nd....again... of course if Family wants to stay in Oakland County...then, he will take the lessor offer...

That's because it's not big enough.

It'll take three years for either of them to get more win in a season than Blashill. There's your respectability.

Yea right after the next 3 1st overall picks.

This just in - Buffalo fans have learned how to edit wikipedia. Awesome! We should have a #babwatch #babswatch photoshop war. (whoever had the baywatch one - it was awesome.)

Not to mention this one has turned into an argument and has nothing to do with Babs anymore

I get that, however they couldn't win spending like Detroit why will things change now? Players already don't want to go to Toronto, and they weren't lining up to play in Detroit because Babcock was here either.

He's mucked some things up in the past, like Iginla to Boston (the first time). Probably pretty reliable but I wouldn't put him equal with McKenzie.

$4M for 5 seasons is absolutely reasonable. All offers above that are desperate/reckless, and I wouldn't consider the Wings either. This is going to drive the price of coaches up huge over the next several years. Hope we don't see owners locking out because they have to pay their coach and GM too much now I will say this: it's a little silly to be worrying about the "best coach in the world" getting paid more than $4M per season when we have Weiss at $5M per season and throw Cleary a charity million, AND they count against the cap!

I feel really bad for Blashill. If Babcock leaves, he's set up to fail at this point. The fan expectations for him are already too high. As said, it's like the backup goalie and backup quarterback thing. I'm not saying that to knock the guy at all, but he'd be coming in as a 1st year NHL head coach to a team that as of now still has a lot of problems. Unless Holland finally succeeds at making a marked improvement to the defense, this team will struggle down the stretch under any coach. That said, Holland could go a long way towards setting Blashill up for success though by improving the D this summer. I do think it's a bit funny that people think the lines will somehow magically be better with a new coach. Sure, there have been decisions that have been made that seem questionable, but end of the day, we have a lot of 4th line players. There's little you can really do with them when push comes to shove.

Me too, now I ask myself why did I stay up to watch them win. I got to be up for work in 5 hours.. :/

I'm slightly more optimistic about our chances personally, but with some of the ideas floating around about how much Buffalo is arguing, it'd be hard to blame him for turning it down. And as rough as Buffalo's been, they're a team that's going to be better before too long. I don't think it's the pipe dream some make it out to be.

So the Buffalo Sabres? lol

I like Babcock. I think he has achieved allot with some below average teams. My impression (just reading all the same stuff everybody else does) is that he would really like to stay, but just doesn't see the team as competitive as it needs to be. If I am being honest with myself I don't think this team is worthy of a top coach. Too many holes, Hank & Pav are just too old. It is the end of a great era. I have my doubts but I am hopeful that Holland can add a couple of the right D & a few forwards within the next three years. At the end of the day Babs will have to move on if he wants a crack at a team that isn't going to limp into the 1st round and actually has a shot.