For some NHL coaches, the one positive of the potential for a lockout on September 15 is that as long as games aren't being played, coaches won't be fired. That may be a depressing take on matters, but given that nearly one-quarter of the league's teams made a change behind the bench last season - in a span of 64 days, no less - there's every reason to believe that more coaches will be on the hot seat once the NHL season does finally get going.
Walter McLaughlin of the Hockey Writers tackled this subject on Monday morning, and named five coaches who could be on their way out of town: Peter Laviolette of the Flyers, Mike Babcock of the Red Wings, Joel Quenneville of the Blackhawks, Alain Vigneault of the Canucks, and Todd McLellan of the Sharks. With San Jose regressing and Vancouver coming off of an ugly first-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, McLellan and Vigneault make sense, and while Laviolette has a Stanley Cup Finals appearance with the Flyers, the last two seasons have ended in disappointment, and the Flyers are a bit of a mess at the moment. Quenneville and the Blackhawks have followed their Stanley Cup in 2010 with a pair of middling finishes and first-round exits, and while the post-Cup fire sale had a lot to do with that, it would be understandable if the Blackhawks wanted a change. The odd name to see on the list, however, is Babcock.
By rights, Babcock should be in no danger in the Motor City. His teams have finished first in the Central Division five times in seven years, and Babcock is just three seasons removed from back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances (including the Stanley Cup season of 2007-08). So why would Babcock be in trouble?
It might not be a question of Babcock being in trouble as it might be of it being his time in Detroit. After all, the familiar faces are fading fast from that 2008 team. Nicklas Lidstrom retired earlier this year, while Tomas Holmstrom is in his late 30s and nearing the finish line. Jiri Hudler is off to Calgary after taking a big-money offer from the Flames. Other retired players from that 2008 team include Dallas Drake, Chris Chelios and Chris Osgood, and while Jimmy Howard has established himself as an All-Star in the Red Wings' net, the fact remains that the makeup of Detroit's team has changed significantly. General manager Ken Holland tried to make further changes this summer by going after free agents like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but struck out on those fronts.
As the Red Wings move into the future, they'll look to bring along talented young prospects like defenseman Brendan Smith, center Calle Jarnkrok and left winger Gustav Nyquist to take the team into the future alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, but the question is whether Babcock is still going to be the right coach for this group of Red Wings.
Is Babcock on the "hot seat?" Not in terms of an early-season firing, certainly, but if Detroit can't get back to the top of the Central Division in 2012-13, it's not inconceivable that the Red Wings would make a move. What do you think? Vote below
