Babcock Watch 2015: Flyers Are A "Top Contender" So Let's Get The Rumor Mill Spinning
Sportsnet – Ron Hextall’s done a very good job of staying in the cone of silence. But his peers across the NHL believe he has been waiting for this, planning meticulously for the opportunity. You have to think Toronto will make the largest financial offer, but other teams think Philly is going to be up there, too.
What does Babcock think of Claude Giroux, Steve Mason, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and their young defencemen not yet in the NHL? Once news began to break that maybe Edmonton was out, Philly became a popular pick for Babcock’s destination.
Previously On “Mike Babcock Is Going To Be Coaching The Philadelphia Flyers Next Season”
I’ve already written that Mike Babcock will be the coach of the Flyers next season so none of this is really news to me. But if you decided to not believe me for some reason a couple weeks ago, now we have it coming from the mouth/keyboard of Elliotte Friedman. He has the top 3 contenders right now to land Babcock as Detroit, Buffalo and Philly. And if it comes down to those 3 teams, well then I guess the only thing that’ll be left up to speculation is where Babcock will be getting his hair cut once he moves to Philadelphia.
Like I said before, nobody in the history of humans has ever willingly moved to Edmonton. Sure, there’s a ton of hype surrounding the team with McDavid coming in at the draft, but it’s still the Topeka, Kansas of Canada. Peace out, Oilers. Enjoy McLellan, he’s good people. Buffalo isn’t much better in terms of people wanting to actually live there. Applebee’s is nice if you’re trying to get half price apps and a few drinks on a Thursday. But when it’s the main nightlife attraction in town? Yeah, maybe not so much. And who do you have to be buddies with if you’re a professional coach in Buffalo? Rex Ryan. While I would love to hang out with Rex for a night or two, I highly doubt anyone would ever want to actually be friends with the guy. So boom, Buffalo is out too. Oh, and you can 100% rule out the possibility of him returning to Detroit. This is pretty much a trial separation for them from now until May 25. You don’t give your girlfriend a hall pass to go out on the loose, see what else is out there for her and realistically expect her to come back. That shit never works out. So Babcock to Philadelphia via Elliotte Friedman via Me it is. And honestly, we should have seen this coming for quite some time now.
One of these two men will go down as a Philadelphia sports legend. The other is Rocky Balboa. Also, in order to acquire Mike Babcock, teams will need to give up a 3rd round draft pick to the Red Wings. Lucky for us, Kimmo Timonen just turned into a 3rd rounder since the Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Coincidence? I think not.
Babcock is the only coach to have ever won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold and gold at the World Championships. Mix that winning pedigree together with Giroux, Voraceck, Simmonds, all the young guys on D, and Mason in between the pipes, and you have yourself one hell of a team. So for everyone who is still enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now with your team still in it, just cherish these final moments. Because they won’t last for long. A dynasty is on the way in Philly.
And if you have any good Mike Babcock to Philly rumors, feel free to send them my way. We can do this together.