News Article: McKenzie: Leafs, Flyers, Bruins, Ducks could make a run at Babcock

[Brodie]

I want Blashill to be retained but I'm significantly more nervous then many here about promoting him. Guy Boucher looked like a sure thing at the AHL level too

 

[ANDI P IS CUTE]

he might just go to Toronto. Why? 3 reasons. Money, the challenge and the hockey capital of the world.

 

[Eggberto]

I want Blashill to be retained but I'm significantly more nervous then many here about promoting him. Guy Boucher looked like a sure thing at the AHL level too

If I'm not mistaken didn't guy boucher lead Tampa to the ECF his first year? He did terrible after that but hey maybe Blash will take us far in that first year.

 

[Winger98]

Does anyone really think Babcock wants GM-type duties? I never got the impression Babcock was bored with coaching and needed to fill a few more hours of his day with running a front office.

GM duties? Probably not. A greater say in personnel decisions in general? I think so.

 

[SoupGuru]

GM duties? Probably not. A greater say in personnel decisions in general? I think so.

How would that even work?

BEFORE
Babs: "I want an elite D-man like Weber"
Holland: "OK"
Babs: "Well?"
Holland: "Sorry, there aren't any available for anywhere close to a reasonable price"
Babs: "Well poop. That sucks"

AFTER
Babs: "I want an elite D-man like Weber"
Holland: "OK"
Babs: "Well?"
Holland: "Sorry, there aren't any available for anywhere close to a reasonable price"
Babs: "ARGH!!!"

I just don't understand how that works without stepping all over a GM's toes. And shouldn't a head coach like Babcock already be the biggest voice that Holland would listen to?

 

[JPE123]

I think the bigger the dumpster fire Toronto becomes....the more appealing it becomes to Babs. Hear me out, bar is low already there...he can blow it completely up, build it his way... low expectations will buy him some time, in his mind eventually he will turn it around, he will be a Canadian god if he wins one for them.

I agree with this. Let's be honest, all of these guys have pretty big egos and the appeal to a canadian to go to Toronto and bring back the franchise glory might be enough for him to give it a go. He seems to be energized in Detroit right now but the challenge of TO might be something that trips his trigger. We'll see

 

[Eggberto]

I agree with this. Let's be honest, all of these guys have pretty big egos and the appeal to a canadian to go to Toronto and bring back the franchise glory might be enough for him to give it a go. He seems to be energized in Detroit right now but the challenge of TO might be something that trips his trigger. We'll see

I don't buy Babcock to Toronto mostly because he (Babcock) has said on numerous occasions that he wants to win. He doesn't want to win 5 years from now, he wants to won now. Babcock is in the winning business, and he won't be doing much of that in Toronto.

Babcock has mentioned that he liked how bowman did things towards the end of his career by signing on a year to year basis. I think that will be his approach in resigning with the wings, and it gives him an easy out once Datsyuk retires if things start to go belly up.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I agree with this. Let's be honest, all of these guys have pretty big egos and the appeal to a canadian to go to Toronto and bring back the franchise glory might be enough for him to give it a go. He seems to be energized in Detroit right now but the challenge of TO might be something that trips his trigger. We'll see

Um... This is the same logic we have heard about every player they want as well. To date the biggest Canadian free agent they have landed under this line of thinking in the last decade plus was.... David Clarkson.

Turns out as big as these guys egos are, they seem to know better.

 

[icKx]

Does anyone really think Babcock wants GM-type duties?

Not really.

Hard to see him holding contract negotiations with agents, working phones for trades, all the behind the scenes business stuff.

 

[Winger98]

How would that even work?

I just don't understand how that works without stepping all over a GM's toes. And shouldn't a head coach like Babcock already be the biggest voice that Holland would listen to?

It could be something as simple as truly having final say on who they break camp with. This year, for example, XO or Jensen would have probably broken camp with them and Kindl sent packing any way possible. It could be greater say in okaying trades. It could be shifting focus on the type of team built. It could be a louder voice in draft strategy. It's really up to Babcock to define how much of a voice he requires.

And it definitely steps on the GM's toes, but I don't think that's necessarily a concern of Babcock's if he gets what he wants.