Babcock has narrowed it down to 3....Detroit, Philly and Buffalo...

[ruxpin]

I just don't see this happening with Babcock honestly. He pushes up his deadline to the 20th and has not even come to Philly. Reading some tea leaves here but I really don't think he is leaving Detroit.

It will be interesting if Babcock does not even come to Philly to interview since this is the guy Hextall was supposedly targeting.

 

 

I've been wondering this while reading the entire thread, so this isn't really just for you.  It just seemed like a good post to quote to spring the question:

 

First, if I'm betting on it, Babcock stays in Detroit.  He's just getting the opportunity to stroke his ego a little bit and maybe get a couple more dollars or some more power in Detroit.

 

But I'm bolding the above because I've seen a few posts in this thread talking about Hextall not going to him or him not coming to Philly and sight unseen, yadda yadda.

 

So here's the question:   WHY does anyone need to meet in person?  

 

He's been coaching in the league for quite a lot of years.  I think everybody knows what you're getting in Babcock.  There is nothing he can really show someone in person that even the slightest bit of scouting wouldn't have already shown.  Conversely, what could Hextall tell him/show him in person that can't be done on the phone or GotoMeeting or Skype or something?  I think the coming here and going there stuff is a bit overblown at this point.   Hextall could easily tell him his "vision" (whatever that is) over the phone.  And vice versa.  They can talk money over the phone, prospects, personnel, etc. Hextall can hold his phone up and Skype him the practice facility (if that's really even part of the equation).  

 

 

The in-person makes great drama for the fans and probably the local media, but otherwise I've never quite understood (not never, but at least the past 5-10 years where technology has made it unnecessary) the getting on planes and jetting across country to do exactly what people could have done from their own offices.

 

---

 

If we're going with Dineen, I hope he's better than his dad (not that his dad had a helluvalot to work with).

[murraycraven]

I've been wondering this while reading the entire thread, so this isn't really just for you. It just seemed like a good post to quote to spring the question:

First, if I'm betting on it, Babcock stays in Detroit. He's just getting the opportunity to stroke his ego a little bit and maybe get a couple more dollars or some more power in Detroit.

But I'm bolding the above because I've seen a few posts in this thread talking about Hextall not going to him or him not coming to Philly and sight unseen, yadda yadda.

So here's the question: WHY does anyone need to meet in person?

He's been coaching in the league for quite a lot of years. I think everybody knows what you're getting in Babcock. There is nothing he can really show someone in person that even the slightest bit of scouting wouldn't have already shown. Conversely, what could Hextall tell him/show him in person that can't be done on the phone or GotoMeeting or Skype or something? I think the coming here and going there stuff is a bit overblown at this point. Hextall could easily tell him his "vision" (whatever that is) over the phone. And vice versa. They can talk money over the phone, prospects, personnel, etc. Hextall can hold his phone up and Skype him the practice facility (if that's really even part of the equation).

The in-person makes great drama for the fans and probably the local media, but otherwise I've never quite understood (not never, but at least the past 5-10 years where technology has made it unnecessary) the getting on planes and jetting across country to do exactly what people could have done from their own offices.

---

If we're going with Dineen, I hope he's better than his dad (not that his dad had a helluvalot to work with).

I agree rux but I find it odd that he would go to Tronno and Buffalo and not visit any other serious contenders - for a lack of better words.

For all we know they may have met at some point... Hextall does work in secrecy so it is not out of the question. Has there ever been a hire in all of major sports where the Coach never visited? I can't think of any...

I just think the entire thing is a dog and pony show with him staying in Detroit.

[OccamsRazor]

WHY does anyone need to meet in person?

Really?

You know why. Is this rhetorical?

Why does anyone visit the team they are about to sign with be it a player or a coach to get to know everyone and as much as possibily can in a short period to get to know the people and whatever else wound interest you before you move somewhere for many years.

You don't just look at the realtor's book to view a house and find a picture you like and just buy it right? Now you check it out and much as you can before settling on something.

Well this is the way i think it should go down/be if i'm coach...and it won't be the end of the world when he stays in Detroit.

[Phillygrump]

I think he's just trying to squeeze Detroit into coming more toward his end of demands. I think he's leveraging. 

 

However, he could meet with the Flyers in person after Sunday. He may have an offer from Philly that caused Detroit to increase their offer and he wants to visit after the he gets back and do his due diligence before solidifying his decision to stay in Detroit.

 

Maybe he visits to make sure he doesn't fall in love with Philly but it seems his heart is in Detroit. He's have to visit to change that feeling unless money is his main concern and the Philly offer (if there was one) is that much better than the Detroit one. Thats the only way I could see him being "intrigued" without a visit.

[murraycraven]

Really?

You know why. Is this rhetorical?

Why does anyone visit the team they are about to sign with be it a player or a coach to get to know everyone and as much as possibily can in a short period to get to know the people and whatever else wound interest you before you move somewhere for many years.

You don't just look at the realtor's book to view a house and find a picture you like and just buy it right? Now you check it out and much as you can before settling on something.

Well this is the way i think it should go down/be if i'm coach...and it won't be the end of the world when he stays in Detroit.

This is how I view it as well. Everything he has said about being very thorough in making a decision. I don't see how skyping is being thorough... I assume he would want to meet w the entire management team of the organization. Who knows but I think he is a pretty calculated person....

[ruxpin]

I agree rux but I find it odd that he would go to Tronno and Buffalo and not visit any other serious contenders - for a lack of better words.

 

 

Fair point.

 

 

Really?

You know why. Is this rhetorical?

Why does anyone visit the team they are about to sign with be it a player or a coach to get to know everyone and as much as possibily can in a short period to get to know the people and whatever else wound interest you before you move somewhere for many years.

You don't just look at the realtor's book to view a house and find a picture you like and just buy it right? Now you check it out and much as you can before settling on something.

Well this is the way i think it should go down/be if i'm coach...and it won't be the end of the world when he stays in Detroit.

 

I think this is a bit overblown.  So, you fly in in the morning....let's do it the night before. Maybe you go out to dinner and party or whatever with the GM and some team officials.   The next day you do your business meeting/interview, maybe tour the facilities and the offices, meet some more of the staff.  Go to lunch or something.  Jet out that night.

 

Are you talking about checking out Philly itself?   Because up to now other than some food you've done nothing you can't do over the phone and/or computer.   I mean, as much of a hole as Philly is in some aspects, he is COMING FROM DETROIT.    So hell itself is an upgrade.

 

Don't get me wrong, I understand what you're saying and maybe there's something to it (obviously, since it IS the way it's typically done!), but I still think it's overblown if you're talking about a guy with that kind of experience.  And I don't think "look at the realtor's book" is really a great comparison when you're talking about a guy who already knows the senior staff, has been in the buildings we're talking about, and really comes down to "this is what I bring, this is what you have and are looking to do, can they go together and what are you paying me?"

 

And certainly none of this is relevant if we're talking about Hextall flying TO him.

 

I think most of this can get done on a high level without an in person.  At some point, an in person would probably be ideal--specifically his going TO Philly.  But Hextall going TO him doesn't have any more value than phone/computer.

[King Knut]

[quote name="ruxpin" post="241113" timestamp="1431783650

So here's the question: WHY does anyone need to meet in person?

The in-person makes great drama for the fans and probably the local media, but otherwise I've never quite understood (not never, but at least the past 5-10 years where technology has made it unnecessary) the getting on planes and jetting across country to do exactly what people could have done from their own offices.

).

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

http://www.nhltraderumors.me/2015/05/mike-babcock-drops-two-bombshells.html

TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger interviewed Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and head coach Mike Babcock recently. Babcock dropped two bombshells in the interview:

I have offers on the table. Yes, more than 1.
To be honest with you, decision date is going to be moved up.. by the 20th, I’ll decide.

Despite teams like Montreal, Pittsburgh and Edmonton pulling out of the Mike Babcock sweepstakes, he still has multiple offers on the table. Babcock is looking for an offer around $5 million per season, which might be too much for Detroit.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks are in on the Mike Babcock sweepstakes.

http://www.nhltraderumors.me/2015/05/mike-babcock-sweepstakes-down-to-three.html

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock's contract expires June 30, 2015, and any team interested in hiring him before his May 20th self imposed deadline has to give up compensation in the form of a draft pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres filed the paperwork to give up a draft pick. Elliotte Friedman broke the news on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday:

Unless when he (Babcock) comes back from the World Championship this week, someone else does it, it's going to be the Maple Leafs, the Sabres or the Red Wings.
It's believed the Sabres are putting together a big pitch.

Babcock has spent the last 10 years as head coach of the Red Wings, and it appears he wants a change of scenery. Where will the coveted coach end up?

--------------------------------------------

I believe the teams had to file the trade paperwork prior to talking to Babcock. That tells me Hextall has not had even a phone conversation with him.

[ruxpin]

A) after Bryz, every major investment needs extensive in person meet ups and a psych evaluation.

B) I would desperately hope a coach would want to see the training and game day facilities. But it's always possible Babcock is already familiar with them from other events over the years.

C) he's not coming here.

Let's get "C" out of the way off the top: completely agree.

The other two are very valid points, and I get that the in person is typically the way it's done. Even the Eagles flew in Chip Kelly before making the mistake of hiring him. So, it IS fairly standard practice (I can't really think of an exception. Anyone?).

I just think there's less chance of a guy who's been around the league this long--and specifically with the Fed Wings--secretly being a nut bag like Bryz.

And I know that even though he probably knows most of the major actors in the Flyers front office, it's different in the context of possible employment. Maybe even the view of the facilities would be in a different light.

But I think he probably knows the circumstance in Philly enough that for him it would come down to terms (after the question of whether he is actually leaving Detroit).

And the Flyers have to have a pretty good idea of what they're getting. So it would again be down to terms.

All of which could be done without an in person.

The part of this that makes me fairly certain it wouldn't go down like this (aside from the fact he's not leaving Detroit) is Hextall. He's so slow and methodical that I doubt it would happen without the convention of at LEAST one in person.

So it's not like I think this will happen at all, much less without an in person, but my question was more or less about the convention and whether it was still necessary.

So far, I think the vote is 3 for "hell yes" to nothing.

[ruxpin]

@AlaskaFlyerFan

VERY interesting. Thanks for posting that.

I am willing to bet that if he goes to Toronto or Buffalo he doesn't see the playoffs during his stint at either place.

[murraycraven]

@AlaskaFlyerFan

VERY interesting. Thanks for posting that.

I am willing to bet that if he goes to Toronto or Buffalo he doesn't see the playoffs during his stint at either place.

Agree rux... The question is who (if not Babcock) is Hextalls target? Could it be Dineen and he is waiting for the Hawks exit?

[ruxpin]

Agree rux... The question is who (if not Babcock) is Hextalls target? Could it be Dineen and he is waiting for the Hawks exit?

Dineen is probably a fairly good guess. I'm not sure how I feel about that (the doesn't mean I'm against it. It just means I'm just kind of indifferent).

I'm guessing it's someone with a team still involved or they'd probably have moved by now.

[OccamsRazor]

Agree rux... The question is who (if not Babcock) is Hextalls target? Could it be Dineen and he is waiting for the Hawks exit?

Or for them to hoist the Cup then he moves in for the kill....

[radoran]

as much of a hole as Philly is in some aspects,

https://youtu.be/VYbsyl3Uew8

[OccamsRazor]

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres filed the paperwork to give up a draft pick.

More of what you said sounds to me like the Flyers aren't really that interested to me...like they have someone else in mind...

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/16/report-just-sabres-leafs-formally-file-paperwork-to-speak-to-babcock/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

[jammer2]

I just don't see this happening with Babcock honestly. He pushes up his deadline to the 20th and has not even come to Philly. Reading some tea leaves here but I really don't think he is leaving Detroit.

It will be interesting if Babcock does not even come to Philly to interview since this is the guy Hextall was supposedly targeting.

 

 You are probably right....but just playing devils advocate here, but who is to say a meeting at a per-arranged private site might have already happened?  It's worth it to Philly to not have the meeting public, it may encourage more teams to enter the fray, give the Wings time and space to make a plan to keep him.....who knows?

[jammer2]

@OccamsRazor  Damn, not even a mention of Philly, huh?  I swear I saw this on a local news feed.....but right now, it's not looking to be true....hope I'm wrong, Babcock would be a HUGE get.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

More of what you said sounds to me like the Flyers aren't really that interested to me...like they have someone else in mind...http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/16/report-just-sabres-leafs-formally-file-paperwork-to-speak-to-babcock/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

To me, this is out of sorts for the Flyers organization. They always, always, always go after the shiney (did I mention always?). Why would Hextall not even talk to Babcock? Talking to Babcock is free (they give up the 3rd round pick if he signs). I'll be pissed if they don't even talk.

Is it possible that the Flyers have a meeting set up already and haven't filed the paperwork yet?

[jammer2]

Is it possible that the Flyers have a meeting set up already and haven't filed the paperwork yet?

 

Considering that Babber's deal is up, effectively making him a UFA....would reporting a meeting even be necessary?

[flyercanuck]

@jammer2

 

His deal is up June 30.

[jammer2]

@jammer2

 

His deal is up June 30.

 

 

 Hmmm, how very odd then that the Wings allowed Babber to look for potential suitors early then....that date is late enough that most potential suitors would have already filled the vacancy...of course, this might alienate Babber to the point that he would never come back...so really a no win situation for the Wings....they made the choice that at least gives them some chance of retaining his services.

[Phillygrump]

Hmmm, how very odd then that the Wings allowed Babber to look for potential suitors early then....that date is late enough that most potential suitors would have already filled the vacancy...of course, this might alienate Babber to the point that he would never come back...so really a no win situation for the Wings....they made the choice that at least gives them some chance of retaining his services.

At first I was guarding myself from getting my hopes up but now I do think the Flyers aren't interested in Babcock and that's pretty negligent on their part. Unless they themselves feel like they're rebuilding. How have they not even met with the guy? Man I'm so sick of watching good young hockey clubs get better and better while watching the Flyers circle-jerk with has-beens, never-weres, and Flyer retreads. I feel like they are wasting the best years G and Jake have to give with lack of direction and vision.

[WordsOfWisdom]

   Just saw this on the CBC news, it's all come down to Philly, Red Wings and Sabres. Would be nice to be a fly on the wall during these negotiations. Flyers and Comcast have the most money out of the 3....but we all know Illitch and Peluga are more wild fans than frugal owners....this is gonna be a bidding war to end all bidding wars.....no cap...just which team wants it more.....I said 6.7 a year for 7 years......it could go to 8 mill for 8 years....LMAO, this is gonna be CRAZY. My gut says Detroit is on the list as a public relations ploy.....if he wanted to be a Wing, he would have already signed there....I think it's down to Buff and Philly myself.

 

 

   Plllllleassssheeee Mr.Babcock, bring your great skills to Philly!!!  Imagine having a coach who is automatically smarter than the other coach....you start every game up before the puck is dropped due to Babber's awesome line matching and overall approach. His teams perform for him cause he's a class act, thus earning respect....his players would run into a brick wall for him...GOD PLEAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE>>>>>!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

LOL again at the Toronto media for desperately trying to make a story about Babcock coming to Toronto where NONE existed! It's all this marketplace has going for it anymore. They have to INVENT positive hockey news just to give fans a reason to keep tuning in! 

[OccamsRazor]

@jammer2

So I should prepare for a rant? Ok. I'll grab a nap and check it out later.

Sorry i guess i should have read through before posting...but yeah that response made me chuckle...

[jammer2]

LOL again at the Toronto media for desperately trying to make a story about Babcock coming to Toronto where NONE existed! It's all this marketplace has going for it anymore. They have to INVENT positive hockey news just to give fans a reason to keep tuning in! 

 

 

 As per usual...1 Leafs rumor trumps 10 real life transactions in Leaf-land!! 

 

 I'm waiting for a "Babcock spotted reading MacLeans magazine on plane.....the all Canadian content is a big clue to his future endeavors.