The Toronto Maple Leafs are making sure that they leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of Detroit head coach Mike Babcock.
Sportsnet's Damien Cox posted via Twitter on Sunday afternoon that the Maple Leafs have acquired permission to talk to Babcock from the Red Wings after reports on Friday indicated that they would allow the Stanley Cup and Olympic winning bench boss to speak to other teams and it is likely that they also have permission to talk to former San Jose coach Todd McLellan.
Cox reports that Toronto management group is prepared to make an offer that will put the Leafs at the front of line for Babcock, including being made the league's top paid coach and significant input in player personnel decisions, but it is still questionable whether that will be enough to bring Babcock to Toronto.
McLellan is coaching Team Canada at the World Championships in the Czech Republic and has been connected to the vacant Edmonton Oilers coaching position.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.