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No, Mike Babcock isn’t leaving the Detroit Red Wings.
Not yet, at least.
Babcock, though, has been given leave by the Red Wings to speak to other NHL teams and explore what opportunities are out there for the veteran coach whose contract with the Wings expires at midnight on June 30.
“As soon as people heard that that first thing they think is ‘He’s long gone,’” Babcock said. “That’s so far from the truth it’s not funny.
“I’m going to gather information. I’m going to the world championships, I’m going to watch Dylan Larkin. I’m just going about what I normally do.”
“They’ve given me the opportunity to talk to other teams, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
“To be honest with you, my family wants to stay here, my wife and kids.”
On the day the Wings cleaned out their lockers, Babcock insisted that there was no better job than the one he currently has as coach of the team.
Holland is giving him that opportunity to find out if he’s right.
“When Mike says ‘Ken, I’d love to be able to talk with other teams see what else is out there’ it kind of tells me he’s happy, he likes it here,” Holland said. “But he feels that he’s worked hard, he’s at a prime time in his career and he would like to make sure that staying is the right decision and the only way he … if he decides to stay … the only way he’s going to really know if it’s the right decision if decides to stay is if he gets the opportunity to talk to teams that have interest in him. Ultimately, after spending time with Mike and thinking about it and working with him, I agree.”
Holland wants the coaching process to be decided one way or another by the end of the month and figures allowing Babcock to explore other options right now instead of waiting until he is officially a free agent can help to expedite matters one way or another.
“If you don’t grant permission, this thing continues to go on and on and on,” Holland said. “I want Mike back because he wants to be here, because he thinks that this is the best fit for him, and I think the only way we’re going to find that out is by allowing him to talk to other teams.
“Certainly I understand the risk that when you grant somebody permission that we can wake up down the road here in the next two or three weeks and we can find out there that Mike has decided to leave Detroit and go coach somewhere else.”
Holland felt that after a decade in Detroit, Babcock had earned the right to at the very least entertain offers from elsewhere.
“There’s no use me just using this exclusive window until the end of June to kind of box him out that he can’t go anywhere,” Holland said. “I don’t believe that’s the way you treat people that have come in and give us the type of service that Mike has given us. I respect that Mike would like to explore his opportunities and I think Mike respects that we’re going to give him that opportunity.
“If Mike finds a better opportunity out there I’m going to shake his hand and thank him for 10 fabulous years. I’m hoping that Mike comes to the conclusion that we are the best fit for him but certainly given his status in the industry, is there the potential that he chooses to go elsewhere? Absolutely.”
Both Holland and Babcock are headed to the world championship in the Czech Republic early next week and Babcock plans to utilize his time there by allowing other NHL teams to woo him. But those that step up to the plate must first go through Holland and if they are to succeed in luring Babcock away from Detroit, it will eventually cost them.
Any team that hopes to sign Babcock away from Detroit will have to first to agree to sign a letter that would give the Wings a third-round draft pick in one of the next three drafts as compensation for losing Babcock.
“What we’ve done is I’ve put a date on of May 25 on this letter that they have permission (to talk to Babcock),” Holland explained. “After May 25 they don’t have permission. Now, if we get to May 24-25 and Mike says to me ‘Ken, I need a few more days,’ I’ll expand it. But certainly there’s going to come a period of time where we want a decision.
“We put in if Mike is their head coach in the ’15-16 season we get compensation. The way it’s written is if a team wants to talk to him they have to sign that and if a team hires him to their coach in ’15-16, we’re getting a draft pick compensation.”
One way or another, Holland intends to know whether he needs a new coach or not before the calendar turns to June.
“I told Mike I’d like to know in the next two to three weeks what his decision is, so certainly by the end of May at the very latest I’m hoping to have a decision,” Holland said. “In the meantime, Mike and I will continue to stay in contact and then based upon how things go for Mike in his conversations with other teams we’ll see where it goes.”
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