Head Coach in Limbo Thread

[cprice12]

Thought this deserved it's own thread in the hours leading up to Babcock's decision and the future of the Blues head coaching position.
https://twitter.com/RealKyper/status/600692812271788032 https://twitter.com/theScore/status/600668819447750656

[glen a richter]

That second tweet is uplifting. I really can't imagine Babcock going to San Jose, Edmonton is out now that they hired McLellan (I think), Toronto is out, Detroit is probably out, Flyers got their guy so who's left? He won't go to NJ, I don't even know if he talked to them. So that leaves the Blues and the Sabres. Sabres leave him closer to home with Cup potential in 3 or 4 years, Blues leave him closer to the Cup now but further from home.

I think if he wants to consider the Blues he has to realize, as we all have to realize, that the system is deep. This team is not set up for a long re-build, this team is set up for continued regular season success based on the talent in the pipeline and a coach like Babcock could get this group to the Cup and the next group to the Cup in a very short amount of time with minimal, if any, rebuild waiting period. Buffalo can win in the near future, this team can win now and in the near future with the right leadership.

[gaijin]

This thread needs a photoshop of Hitchcock doing the limbo.

[ecbm]

Well if you read the report that comes along with the second tweet, what it's really saying is that he's staying with the Red Wings. Then again, reading it also tells you it's one guy's opinion, so...

Still can't believe that the decision as to whether or not Hitchcock is coming back is in any way up to him. As soon as that was clear, I was pretty sure the Blues would bungle this. Prove me wrong, Doug.

[cprice12]

Nobody seems to be talking about the Blues being serious contenders for Babcock.
It seems they feel he will either stay in Detroit or go to Buffalo...but most are saying he stays in Detroit.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if it is announced he is coming to St. Louis...despite all of the Detroit and Buffalo talk. That is the way Armstrong operates. You don't tend to hear about stuff until it actually happens.

A quick read over at LGW and I am surprised at how many of them seem to not want him back if it's only a short term deal or are indifferent about him staying. It seems they have been spoiled by success and don't truly appreciate what they have...but we'll see.

[STLADOGG]

The reason for why people are saying Babcock won't come to the Blues is because Hitchcock and Babs are friends and Babs wouldn't want to take a job that Hitch...technically has.
Which I think is BS. Hitchcock hasn't even said he wants to coach next season....so the job should be on the table.

[glen a richter]

The Wings fans seem enamored with the guy they have coaching their AHL affiliate, and apparently Holland refused to let other teams even talk to him because he, too, is enamored with him.

I would suspect Babcock leaves Detroit and gets replaced by whatever that guys name is, I don't remember. To me, that leaves Buffalo and St. Louis. While Hitch is technically the coach, he's also technically not the coach after his contract officially runs out which is on June 1st I guess, I don't know. To say Babcock is bumping a coach out of a non-vacant position is misleading. The position is, as the title of this thread accurately points out, in limbo.

In any event, the pickings for a replacement head coach are ripe right now and it would be moronic to miss the opportunity to strike. Who knows when this many qualified coaches will be available to choose from again? Knowing it doesn't count against the cap, I'd give Babcock 5 years, 25 mil. As much as I'm against the concept of coach/GM being the same person, I might consider giving him the GM title too, if that would entice him to come aboard. Armstrong has run his course as well. He's made some bold moves and they've all backfired. Now we have an albatross in Bouwmeester, no Miller (thankfully), no Letunov, and no Michalek (probably), making that trade a total bust. We've also got a motley collection of assistant coaches. The only one I like is Muller and I'm afraid they'll bump him up to HC if everything else fails. I don't think he'd be a good fit at all as HC. His current job suits him fine. The rest of the coaching staff can go fly a kite. If I had my druthers, CuJo would be goalie coach--he has coaching experience right now in one of the lower leagues, and MacInnis would move down to the bench to work specifically with the defense.

[dmiles2186]

The way I read it, if Babs is going to be swayed only by money here, then Buffalo is his new destination. Supposedly the Wings were offering $3.25M per and that would have made him the highest paid coach in the league. The Sabres are reportedly offering up to $5M per season. I doubt that's money that Stillman can compete with.

But if Babs wants a ready made roster with a solid pipeline (as glen alluded to), then the Blues would need to be at the top of the list. Of course, I'm biased.

[glen a richter]

Whelp.... http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-babcock ... --spt.html

[Oaklandblue]

Calling this right now: Hitch resigns one year as coach. This pretty much proves to me our commitnent to winning.

You suck Stillman.

[Kerfuffle]

I still think Babcock goes to a Canadian team - this is where home is and where he said he wanted to be.

[glen a richter]

Buffalo is basically Canada, it's right there.

[dmiles2186]

Calling this right now: Hitch resigns one year as coach. This pretty much proves to me our commitnent to winning.

You suck Stillman.

So you are saying our owner sucks and that our team isn't committed to winning all on an assumption you are making?

[Toasted Oates]

I still think Babcock goes to a Canadian team - this is where home is and where he said he wanted to be.

He publicly said he wanted to coach in Canada while under contract with a team based in Detroit? Ouch.

The only quote I've found compared his kids' roots in Detroit to his in Saskatoon. But he only said that to demonstrate how hard it'd be for his family to leave Michigan.

Not saying you're wrong, I just can't find a quote where he says, "I want to coach in Canada." Not that it matters; he's probably taking the $$ in Buffalo.

[Oaklandblue]

Calling this right now: Hitch resigns one year as coach. This pretty much proves to me our commitnent to winning.

You suck Stillman.

So you are saying our owner sucks and that our team isn't committed to winning all on an assumption you are making?

- I'm assuming the team played like dogshit in the playoffs

- I'm assuming we are letting a coach who is NOT under contract to decide if he wants to continue coaching a team after four years of near-failure to advance in the playoffs. Different players, same results.

- I'm assuming that we want to stick with Army and Hitch and not make a real offer to get a real gamechanger as Babs, like firing Army and giving Babs a blank check to run the organization as he sees fit.

- I'm assuming that we sign players of questionable quality to high money contracts, making insignfigant trades and acquiring players who are not the solution that they are advertised, to date

- I'm assuming that the team on paper isn't the team that appears on the ice. Brave on paper, gutless otherwise. Count how many Finals we've made it to, or how many times in four years we've made the second round.

- I'm assuming that Stillman is mishandling money by spending to the cap to support all of this nonsense while claiming to be a huge fan of the Note. Maybe shit is different in Missouri but I thought if you spent to the cap, you'd have a team that could at least do something, but no, we aren't overspending money on Ott and Berglund and some others who consistantly fail to produce in the playoffs at a level that they should.

- I'm assuming that the organization is afraid to trade real assets to acquire real players that can help us now. I'm assuming that we continue to get into the Prospects Game and build teams around players who MIGHT end up being PRETTY GOOD or GOOD which rarely, if ever, becomes the case.

In short: What assumption?

[Robb_K]

[quote="glen a richter"]Buffalo is basically Canada, it's right there.[/quote]He can live in a Canadian suburb of Buffalo, like Niagara Falls or St. Catherines, Ontario, and drive to work (in Buffalo) every day (just like he could have lived in Windsor, and driven to Detroit (although I believe his house is in Michigan). I would always live on the Canadian side in such a situation, if I were in his shoes. But, I think Babcock is less of a Chauvanist than I.

[dmiles2186]

Calling this right now: Hitch resigns one year as coach. This pretty much proves to me our commitnent to winning.

You suck Stillman.

So you are saying our owner sucks and that our team isn't committed to winning all on an assumption you are making?

- I'm assuming the team played like dogshit in the playoffs

- I'm assuming we are letting a coach who is NOT under contract to decide if he wants to continue coaching a team after four years of near-failure to advance in the playoffs. Different players, same results.

- I'm assuming that we want to stick with Army and Hitch and not make a real offer to get a real gamechanger as Babs, like firing Army and giving Babs a blank check to run the organization as he sees fit.

- I'm assuming that we sign players of questionable quality to high money contracts, making insignfigant trades and acquiring players who are not the solution that they are advertised, to date

- I'm assuming that the team on paper isn't the team that appears on the ice. Brave on paper, gutless otherwise. Count how many Finals we've made it to, or how many times in four years we've made the second round.

- I'm assuming that Stillman is mishandling money by spending to the cap to support all of this nonsense while claiming to be a huge fan of the Note. Maybe shit is different in Missouri but I thought if you spent to the cap, you'd have a team that could at least do something, but no, we aren't overspending money on Ott and Berglund and some others who consistantly fail to produce in the playoffs at a level that they should.

- I'm assuming that the organization is afraid to trade real assets to acquire real players that can help us now. I'm assuming that we continue to get into the Prospects Game and build teams around players who MIGHT end up being PRETTY GOOD or GOOD which rarely, if ever, becomes the case.

In short: What assumption?

In short: the assumption you started your post with: "Calling this right now: Hitch resigns one year as coach. This pretty much proves to me our commitment to winning. "

That hasn't happened yet. There has been no confirmation on this. Thus, an assumption. It very well could happen and if it does, kudos to you. But for now...'tis an assumption.

ASSUMPTION
1. a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

I'm not disagreeing on you with some of your other 'assumptions' that you list there. But you predict that Hitch gets a 1 year deal, then you say it 'proves' the Blues' commitment to winning. Then you say our owner sucks for giving Hitch a predicted one year deal that hasn't taken place.

[ecbm]

I don't have any vitriol for Stillman but I do think he's being unduly influenced by Armstrong, who of course will keep telling him: double down again on my method. Which includes Hitchcock, who should have been either shown the door or retained immediately. I do think it shows some cowardice high up in the organization that the coaching situation has been handled as it has. It seems like the goal is to make it look like a decision that makes itself so nobody has to take responsibility for it. I'd also say a culture of not taking responsibility for performance is exactly what dooms the current Blues to post-season failure.

[WaukeeBlues]

From what the guys on NHL Network radio have been saying (and they've talked with some people close to Babcock... apparently) it's either Detroit or Buffalo.

I think Babcock knows that this Detroit team isn't getting any younger and while they have some good players in the system that can keep them competitive, they're not going to be winning a cup any time soon no matter how good a coach he is.

Enter Buffalo. You got Eichel coming in who is already NHL ready, a slew of young studs already in the system... it makes sense if Babcock wants a challenge that he would join an organization that he would leave an imprint on and help build from the ground up. He'd also be entering the Buffalo scene on essentially perfect timing; right as they are about to turn the corner on this rebuild.

Who the hell would want to coach the Blues? A team with a lack of a killer instinct in the playoffs, with a ton of veterans who may not be as open to a new coaching style as a ton of youngsters in Buffalo?

It's also my understanding that Babcock wants some kind of a say in the player personnel on the roster. A more NBA-esque type situation. Buffalo would make more sense from that standpoint too.

Just my thought.

[ecbm]

From what the guys on NHL Network radio have been saying (and they've talked with some people close to Babcock... apparently) it's either Detroit or Buffalo.

I think Babcock knows that this Detroit team isn't getting any younger and while they have some good players in the system that can keep them competitive, they're not going to be winning a cup any time soon no matter how good a coach he is.

Enter Buffalo. You got Eichel coming in who is already NHL ready, a slew of young studs already in the system... it makes sense if Babcock wants a challenge that he would join an organization that he would leave an imprint on and help build from the ground up. He'd also be entering the Buffalo scene on essentially perfect timing; right as they are about to turn the corner on this rebuild.

Who the hell would want to coach the Blues? A team with a lack of a killer instinct in the playoffs, with a ton of veterans who may not be as open to a new coaching style as a ton of youngsters in Buffalo?

It's also my understanding that Babcock wants some kind of a say in the player personnel on the roster. A more NBA-esque type situation. Buffalo would make more sense from that standpoint too.

Just my thought.

I think he'll get the control he wants in Toronto. Buffalo have a GM of some stature in place while in Toronto has no general manager and the team president is a guy Babcock coached (if briefly)...