When he news came out that Mike Babcock had signed an 8-Year, $50 million deal with the division rival Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings fans had a mixed reaction. Some were extremely disappointed, especially that he went to Toronto, while some others were glad he was gone. It seemed there were Red Wings fans who had a mixed reaction as well, believing that the team can win with any coach, or it depends on who replaces Babcock before they determine what they think. However you think about it, the Detroit Red Wings will be looking for a new coach for the first time in 10 seasons. One of the longest tenured coaches in the NHL. The Red Wings coach prior to Babcock was Dave Lewis, and before him, was the great Scotty Bowman. Who's next in line to join the Red Wings long list of greats behind the bench? 

There are a couple of possibilities that very few seem to talk about. Names like John Tortorella or Mike Keenan come to mind. Then there are those who aren't favorites, but have ties to the organization including former players on the Red Wings, and even recent assistants to Babcock such as Tony Granato and Paul McLean. There's the names that nobody wants to see attached to Detroit like Dan Bylsma (who actually makes a lot more sense than one might think), as well as the favorite, and most logical choice of the large group, Jeff Blashill, the current coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins minor league hockey team, who currently coaches most of the Red Wings top young players.

Starting with names that are the least likely, names like Mike Keenan or Brent Sutter. Both have had past experiences which resulted in good records with teams that weren't considered the favorites, and have proven they can get results. While both these names, as well as other potential names in the least likely category, are short term, they would be able to step right into hockeytown and get the Red Wings to another playoff birth.

The next group are names like McLean and Granato. Both have assistant coaching experience under Babcock, and have done well in their time as assistants. McLean was fired in Ottawa for lack of success with an underwhelming team to begin with, while Granato had success with another candidate Dan Bylsma as an assistant coach on the successful Pittsburgh Penguins teams in recent years before signing on under Babcock last season. Both coaches have familiarity with the Red Wings players, and NHL Coaching experience greater than the one year of Blashill, making them candidates for the position as well.

Next are the names that are potential options, and are good coaches, but are not exactly the can favorites for the position. These names include Dan Bylsma and John Tortorella. Byslma, was last employed by the Pittsburgh Penguins the season before last while Tortorella was last employed by the Vancouver Canucks. If Claude Julien from Boston becomes available he will also make this group. Bylsma has many Michigan connections including growing up in Grand Haven and going to Western Michigan University among other things. Another note is that Bylsma was reportedly well liked by Babcock when he coached in Anaheim prior to him coming the Red Wings, as Bylsma was named alternate captain of the Ducks, and knows Babcock's system having played under him in the early 2000's. Bylsma has experience coaching stars with Malkin and Crosby, has made the playoffs and won the Stanley Cup, and has coached under pressure including as the U.S Olympics coach against Babcock, and in Pittsburgh against Babcock as well. Should Bylsma come to Detroit, he would have a lot more chances to face Mike behind the bench, and improve on his coaching career which has a 252-117-32 regular season and 43-35 postseason record. He is arguably the best coach available right now, and Detroit should consider looking at Bylsma as an option. There's also Tortorella who is known for his time with the Rangers, but has less connections to Detroit, does not have as much knowledge of Detroit's system having always been in the opposite conference as the Wings, and does not have the playoff success that Bylsma does that Red Wings fans would look for. While Tortorella would not destroy the Red Wings, he wouldn't be as beneficial to the squad as Bylsma or Blashill would be.

Finally, there's Jeff Blashill. The coach who is most familiar with the current squad (other than Granato), by far the most familiar with the Red Wings prospects having coached most of them and helped draft most of them, and most familiar with the decision makers in the organization (Illitch and Holland). Babcock himself has noted what Blashill has done for the Red Wings, and has turned the Red Wings minor league system into one of the top teams in the league, including winning the Calder Cup, as well as having the chance to win another this season. He's coached in the minor leagues for almost his whole professional coaching career, however and the concern is whether or not he will be ready to jump to the NHL level immediately having not been behind an NHL bench as only one year as an assistant. This has been discarded by many however, as the smooth transition to the Red Wings from the Griffins should be extremely easy for him as he coaches the exact same system, and has coached most of the players on the roster in the minor leagues. He's also extremely young at only 41, and would provide the energy behind the bench the Wings would like to see continued after Babcock's departure. Another factor in making this decision is Blashill himself. Should someone else be named coach of the Red Wings, there will be many teams calling him up when his contract expires after next season. It seems extremely unlikely that the Red Wings would hold him back from interviews once again, and keep him in their minor league system. However, if Blashill gets promoted, this opens up a hole in the AHL for a new head coach on the Griffins. While not as big of a problem as who would coach the Red Wings, the organization still needs a top minor league coach for the Griffins to continue developing the Red Wings prospects.

Ultimately however, the Red Wings are in as good a spot as any team in the NHL despite Babcock's departure. They will get a good coach, they have a new arena being built by the day, and they will continue to have top notch prospects and roster talent for many years to come. It's almost just a formality that the Red Wings hire a new coach, just to set the lines and defensive pairs, assist with call ups and every little thing a coach does. Mike Babcock is not the reason why the Red Wings are so good, it's because of the management and the players.

The situation should seem familiar to Detroit fans, as the Tigers experienced the need to find a new manager when Jim Leyland called it quits. The Tigers hired Brad Ausmus, who may not be the best manager in the MLB, but the roster assembled by Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski is helping him win games. The same sort of thing is currently happening with the Red Wings, which is why regardless of who the Red Wings brass hires, they will be Stanley Cup Contenders in 2016 and beyond.