While all eyes in Toronto are focused on welcoming Mike Babcock as the new head coach of the Maple Leafs, those in Detroit are eying the empty office he leaves behind.
But it won’t be vacant for long.
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One name that’s been circulating ever since the beginning of #BabWatch is Jeff Blashill, the head coach of Detroit’s AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.
According to Babcock himself, Blashill is the right man for the job.
“We had a great run,” Babcock said of his 10 years in Detroit during an appearance on Prime Time Sports. “But what we did is we developed people. Steve Yzerman and Pat Verbeek are in Tampa, Jimmy Nill’s in Dallas, Todd McLellan’s in Edmonton, Paul MacLean was in Ottawa, Bill Peters in Carolina, [Jeff] Blashill’s going to be the next coach of the Wings…
“These people came to Detroit and they got better. And the players got better. And we developed talent, and we made better men.”
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has made no secret of the fact that Blashill’s at the top of the organization’s short list of candidates.
“He’s the leading candidate,” Holland told Bob McCown and Ken Reid on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “Mike and I are very high on Blashill. He’s the leading candidate. I believe in loyalty.”
“He will be the first person I talk to,” Holland added. “I’ll talk to (Jeff) Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Based on the conversation, I’ll decide my next move. Certainly there’s no doubt he’s the leading candidate but no final decisions until Grand Rapids’ season is over.”
It certainly works to Blashill’s credit that he’s already familiar with not just the organization, but the players, having worked with and developed many of the young talent on the Red Wings’ roster. He was also Babcock’s assistant coach in 2011-12.
The 41-year-old Blashill is highly regarded as an up-and-coming head coach in the NHL, and was even contacted by some NHL teams a year ago before the Red Wings re-upped his contract for another three years.
“I want to be the next head coach of the Detroit Red Wings,” Blashill told the Detroit Free Press Thursday. “An ultimate goal of mine was to become an NHL head coach; obviously, within this organization, it’s a great organization to be part of.”
Blashill won the Calder Cup with the Griffins (2013) and was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year (2014).
