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Mike Babcock Sweepstakes Heating Up

By Melissa Kania

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Mike Babcock has been one of the hottest names around the NHL lately, particularly rolling off the tongues of Buffalo Sabres fans eager to find out who the team’s next head coach will be.

Questions will become answers very soon, likely as early as Wednesday of this week, but we’ve already got some ideas as to whether or not Babcock could end up in Buffalo, and if not, where he could be the new bench boss.

The NHL is facing a lot of coaching vacancies this offseason.

Of course, the Sabres fired Ted Nolan, but they’re not the only team looking for a new head coach. The San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs also have a vacancy, while Philadelphia and Edmonton also had open slots at the end of this season. The Blues have also been mentioned as a contender for Babcock, while he could end up also deciding to return to Detroit.

While we don’t know if Babcock will end up in Buffalo, here’s what we do know:

The Philadelphia Flyers are out, as they hired University of North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol on Monday.

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So that’s one and done — check the Flyers off the Babcock Watch List.

The Edmonton Oilers are also almost certainly out of the race, as they’re expected to hire Todd McLellan as the team’s next head coach. It hasn’t been made official yet, but reports have indicated that should change very soon.

But there are some other potential contenders here, too. The Blues have reportedly met with Babcock, while the Sharks will do so “early this week.” This is a bit surprising considering Babcock is expected to make his decision by mid-week… it’s a saga that just keeps going, but we’ll have an end to it very soon.

One of the stipulations with any team hiring Mike Babock is that the team must agree to give the Red Wings a third-round draft pick as compensation.

Both the Sabres and Leafs filed the appropriate paperwork for permission to hire Babcock, and as of right now, they’re the only teams to have done so. Of course that can change, but as of right now — that’s it.

We know that Mike Babcock was here in Buffalo visiting with the Pegulas last week, touring First Niagara Center and HARBORcenter. He also met with the Leafs prior to that.

The *asterisk* option here is that there’s always a chance Babcock can go back to the Red Wings. Though he did reportedly turn down an extension offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid coach in the league, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Wings are out of the picture. It’s possible that he wanted to explore his options and talk to other teams before committing one way or another.

Based on all of this…. there really doesn’t seem to be any early indication of which way Babcock will go, but this is starting to read like a soap opera. “WHERE, oh where, will Mike Babcock go? Stay tuned to find out in the next episode, airing… sometime this week! The dramatic, shocking decision lies ahead, just after this commercial break!”

One way or another, things are heating up and I’ll be glad when it’s all settled, if only so either a) the Sabres will have a coach or b) everyone can stop talking about it.

Where do you think Babcock will end up coaching next season? Vote in the poll, leave your comments and let’s all wait with bated breath for his decision.

Next: Sabres Proceed With Caution Towards Babcock

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