Report: Leafs not giving up 2015 pick for Babcock

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman comments on the Toronto Maple Leafs signing head coach Mike Babcock.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Mike Babcock as their new head coach it cost the team slightly more than the $50-million contract they gave him.

The Leafs also had to give the Detroit Red Wings, Babcock’s former team, a future third-round pick as compensation.

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According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, the Leafs have informed the Red Wings they’re keeping their 2015 third-rounder. This means the Leafs now have the option of giving Detroit their third rounder in either 2016 or 2017.

The Leafs’ third-round pick this year is the 65th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

NHL teams being compensated for losing a head coach, general manager or president of hockey operations to another team is a relatively new concept in the NHL and one NHL commissioner Gary Bettman isn’t a huge fan of. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL’s Board of Governors could decide to tweak the rules regarding compensation for coaches and executives in the near future.


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