He wasn't quite as emphatic as saying there is 0% chance, but Babcock did say "He'll be back. He'll be back. He's too good to quit and our team's too good.''
And then the lockout happened. Who knows what would of happened if the lockout doesn't happen. Either way, Datsyuk isn't 40, he's 35 and he can play until he's 40 in the NHL at a high level. He's like Selanne, he's got too much skill not to be able to produce, he doesn't need to be the fastest.