Coaching -
per The Leafs Nation quoting Damien Cox - Mike Babcock and his future in Detroit has kind of gone under the radar for a while now, which is probably exactly how (Red Wings general manager) Ken Holland would like it. But this we know: the Edmonton Oilers this week said they're not going to take the interim tag off of Todd Nelson, even though his record is pretty good. Toronto, of course, also has an interim head coach and we know that job may be open.
I think what's going to be interesting is that both of those teams, and others, won't make any decision on a permanent head coach until they know what's happening with Mike Babcock.
What we see here is pure speculation. You have two struggling teams in Edmonton and Toronto. Both as mentioned are using the interim tag since firing the their head coaches. Nelson is 10-12-3 so far in Edmonton which according to Cox is pretty good...... . The Oilers are looking better but a sub .500 record is hardly worth commitment.
In Toronto Peter Horachek is 3-15-2. Without question he's not going to be the head coach in Toronto.
To suggest these teams are going all in on Babcock on the basis that they have interim coaches is ridiculous and unfounded. Mike Babcock is sure to test the waters but make no mistake his players in Detroit are showing him they can compete and the playoff performance of the Detroit Red Wings will go far in determining if Babcock comes back. With the leverage of being a highly sought after coach we already know Mike Babcock is going to cash in big. With a brand new arena on the way the way the team has battled for him I just can't see his future outside of Detroit all differences with Ken Holland aside.
Tank Nation - The fans were dealt a stinging blow in an anti Tank Nation perfect storm last night in the NHL as the Oilers lose 2-1 in regulation to the Anaheim Ducks and the Carolina Hurricanes also lost 3-1 against the New Jersey Devils. Toronto battled and got a 4-3 win which merely serves as a moral victory in the room and further stress for fans hoping to land one of the top 2 prospects in the upcoming entry draft. If there is a silver lining it's the depth of the draft and a top 5 pick should turn into a special player
Connor McDavid - Every point is a step in the wrong direction and last night the Leafs took two. The odds of winning the lottery are not as favorable as many may believe though they have improved over recent years. Short of a miracle the Leafs will not be selecting the young phenom who's been on every ones radar for years. McDavid would love to be a Leaf and unfortunately what we'll see is another young Toronto area prospect go on to help a US based team.
No comments:
Post a Comment