Babcock's days in Detroit appear numbered

Mike Babcock's marriage to the Detroit Red Wings appears all but over.
As reported Friday, Babcock has expressed a desire to consider other options, and the Red Wings are willing to let them talk to other teams before his contract expires in July. Babcock has stated that he could still return to Detroit, and the Wings would clearly love to have him back. But this situation makes two points clear: Babcock is not committed to Detroit, perhaps for a few weeks or maybe forever, and the Red Wings are willing to let him go.
Granted, relations would have been damaged if the Red Wings had not granted him permission to talk to other teams before his contract expires, because the club would then have an angry coach that it still wants to keep and might have to work with. Also, the Wings could miss out on some other qualified coaching candidates, such as former San Jose Sharks bench boss Todd McLellan, who is a former Detroit assistant.
In turn, the Wings could also miss out on signing some unrestricted free agents, who view a potential team's coach as a key factor in their decisions. Babcock would also miss out on jobs elsewhere, because teams like to have coaches in place for free agency and planning purposes, often before the draft in late June or the July 1 free agent frenzy.
Both the Red Wings and Babcock are being decent by keeping options open. The Red Wings, who have made two contract offers, could have simply let him go while continuing to pay him until July. Also, Babcock could have stated that he won't be back.
Babcock earned such treatment after helping the Wings reach the Stanley Cup finals in 2008, when they beat Pittsburgh, and 2009 when they lost to the Penguins. He has also helped the Red Wings qualify for the playoffs in 24 straight years. Babcock has gone 527-285-119 with 19 ties in 12 NHL seasons, sports an 82-62 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and led Canada to gold medals in the last two Olympics. He also led the Anaheim Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals in 2003.
Both sides are showing their professionalism and respectful relationship by keeping options open, but the Red Wings are also preparing for Babcock's departure. General manager Ken Holland is not allowing other teams to talk to Jeff Blashill, coach of the Wings' AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich. Holland has stated that Blashill would be a candidate for the Detroit position if Babcock leaves.
The Red Wings like to develop coaches and players from within, so Blashill would have a good chance of being promoted. It's hard to say why Babcock wants to consider other jobs. The Red Wings, owned by Mikke Ilitch, are a wealthy organizations that can afford to meet, or at least come close enough, to his salary target, and Babcock does not have a desire to be a GM. While he might have a strong desire to win now, the Red Wings have considerable young talent on their roster and in the pipeline to offset the eventual losses of superstars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. It won't be long before they are strong Cup contenders again.
Babcock might just want a change or a new challenge or the opportunity to work in Canada. You are not likely to find out the reasons unless Babcock moves to another team. His options are plentiful as Toronto, Buffalo, San Jose and Philadelphia have openings, while Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli has said he will reach out to him, although Todd Nelson is still the Oilers coach for now. The strong likelihood of Edmonton choosing Connor McDavid first overall could appeal strongly to Babcock when he decides where to go. Other teams without coaching vacancies, unusual suspects as now, might also make moves if they can get Babcock. For instance, Claude Julien's future in Boston is in question, and Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter appears to be dealing with a player mutiny after the 2013-14 Stanley Cup champions missed the playoffs.
All of these factors increase the likelihood of Babcock leaving Detroit.