A few days ago, Helene St. James was on WGR's Mike Schopp and the Bulldog quoting current Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock as saying the he was headed to the IIHF World Hockey Championships "to see Dylan Larkin." Larkin is a 18 yr. old Wings prospect who had an impressive freshman season at Michigan scoring 47 points (15 + 32) in 35 games. The Wolverine powerforward was selected by Detroit with the 15th-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Larkin's game has been progressing nicely as he adapts to playing against highly skilled men at the tournament. "I'm impressed by how he plays the game as a young player who is making great strides," Team USA head coach Todd Richards said. "For me as a coach, the more you watch him, the more you trust him. He's a great skater, has speed and is a committed two-way player, who plays a 200-foot game."
Those are some pretty important attributes for any player, but especially one who's being looked upon as a possible successor to one of the great two-way players over the last 10 years or so in Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk.
Datsyuk won three consecutive Selke Trophies for the league's best defensive forward from 2008-10 and during those years he averaged 30 goals and 86 points. But at 36 years old, the two-time Stanley Cup winner with Detroit (2002, 2008) is getting a little long in the tooth. He's still productive, can still work magic and is nowhere near retirement, but he ain't getting any younger. He and Henrik Zetterberg (age 34) at one time replaced the likes of Steve Yzerman and Niklas Lidstrom to keep the franchise rolling successfully and Babcock's looking to see if Larkin could one day do what they had done. "[Larkin] is the closest answer they have to Babcock's question of who's going to replace Datsyuk down the road," said St. James on WGR the other day.
Also on the ice skating for Team USA is Larkin's teammate, Jack Eichel.
Eichel had 71 points (25 + 46) in 40 games as a freshman for Boston University and will enter the 2015 NHL Draft as the likely 2nd-overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres. Like his teammate Larkin, Eichel has had to adjust to the speed of the game, the larger ice surface, and the players who are bigger, faster and more skilled than those they faced in college. He has done that and done it very well receiving much praise for his progress at the World's.
"The composure he has with the puck is pretty awesome to see," said Eichel's linemate, two-time Stanley Cup winner
Added Richards, "When [Eichel] gets the puck on his stick, he becomes an incredibly dangerous player. It's his speed, his reach, his vision and he is also very strong on the puck."
Eichel scored his first goal of the tournament today on a tip in Team USA's 3-1 victory over Slovenia. For the tournament he has three assists and is a plus-five in six game played.
Both Larkin and Eichel will be the focal point of their respective teams for many years to come. Who will be coaching them next season and into the near future is the big question.
The Buffalo Sabres are without a coach and are one of a half-dozen teams said to be in the running for Babcock's services. Although still the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Babcock asked for and was granted permission to speak with other teams concerning their coaching vacancies. Damien Cox of sportsnet.ca reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were on it early this past weekend and it pushed them to the head of the line. "My understanding is," tweeted Cox, "the Maple Leafs have acquired permission to talk to Mike Babcock. TOR regime likely at front of line. Aggressive group."
In my estimation, the "Center of the Hockey Universe" can push and be aggressive all it wants, but Toronto will be a tough sell, according to Kevin McGran of theStar.com, considering they're "in the process of tearing down and rebuilding. It's been said that Babcock is interested in winning and the Leafs will be further away from that than most in this race, especially without viable No. 1 center prospects like Larkin and Eichel.
Despite McGran's contention that Babcock "[is not] impressed with the Buffalo Sabres, another rebuilding team looking for a coach," St. James, as well as other Detroit outlets have the Sabres as the second favorite. The Sabres have a good young core forming right now thanks to a bevy of first and second round draft picks and Sabres GM Tim Murray sped up the rebuilding process by trading for 23 yr. old Evander Kane and 24 yr. old Zach Bogosian. And, of course, Babcock can see the future first-hand with Eichel right there in front of him.
Babcock and Murray also have a history, dating back when both were in Anaheim in 2002. Babcock was an assistant coach with the Ducks at the time and Murray was director of player personnel. Murray is also in the Czech Republic and, according to WGR's Matthew Coller, "I'm hearing Mike Babcock is meeting with the Buffalo Sabres today."
More will come out as the days to come, but the pursuit of Babcock adds plenty of intrigue to the Buffalo Sabres organization.
Much like their counterpart in football with the Bills, they have a premier head coach in their sites. Both teams are owned by the Pegula family with a directive pointed squarely towards a championship. For years the Bills went on the cheap when it came to the coaching staff, but this year they broke the trend by signing the highly respected Rex Ryan to a lucrative contract. And one would think that the Pegulas will spare no expense going after Babcock.
Unfortunately, it's not up to them. With 10 highly successful years under his belt in Detroit, Babcock will look for the best possible fit for himself and his wife. No team in this search has everything he's looking for, but I do like the fact that the Sabres have some crucial pieces in place and are poised to take major leaps within the next two-three years, especially with Eichel up-top.
Will it be enough to tip the scales in their favor?
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One more quick note.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported over the weekend that the Pittsburgh Penguins are out of the Babcock race.
Said Pens GM Jim Rutherford to Mackey, "We are committed to our present coaching staff."
The Penguins have superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and have much of the pieces in place to get back into Stanley Cup contention. Players like Crosby and Malkin, as well as the general success that Pittsburgh has achieved, including a Stanley Cup win over Detroit with Babcock behind the bench could have been very appealing.
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