The news that the Edmonton Oilers may hire Mike Babcock as their next head coach has captivated the hockey world nearly three years after he stepped down from the job in Columbus before he even coached one game.
As Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week, the NHL officially opened its investigation into Babcock after the Stanley Cup Final concluded. Various members of that 2023-24 Blue Jackets team, from front office members to players, were requested to be part of it but, as Friedman noted, some players had no desire to re-live what happened so long ago.
According to my sources, barring any new and unforeseen development, the NHL would like to wrap up this investigation by as early as the end of this week. As of now, the general feeling among those close to this situation is that with the support of Oilers owner Darryl Katz and superstar Connor McDavid – who has major influence with the NHLPA – Babcock should still be looking at a clear path to becoming the next coach of the Oilers.
• There was a feeling that with Brad Treliving gone from Toronto the Matthew Knies trade noise would disappear. That is not the case.
The Maple Leafs’ new front office is still looking to shake it up and Tuesday’s trade with Philadelphia is small potatoes compared to some of the things they’re thinking about. Knies’ name is the biggest one out there from Toronto and there are teams all over GM John Chayka about this player. Everyone has linked Knies to Montreal, but there are many teams pushing hard for him and it’s something the Leafs are thinking long and hard about.
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• Could we see more goalie movement in the coming weeks after Philadelphia and Toronto came together in a trade Tuesday?
There is lots of noise growing around the league that Jets superstar goalie – and USA Olympic hero – Connor Hellebuyck is looking for a change of scenery.
However, if Hellebuyck has given the Jets a formal trade request at this point, as Dylan Larkin did to Detroit, both sides have done a tremendous job keeping it under wraps. If, however, Hellebuyck and the Jets do move forward with finding him a new destination, a number of teams will want to be in the mix, including Detroit, Buffalo and Florida.
• Speaking of the Panthers, they remain focused on re-signing pending UFA Sergei Bobrovsky, but they may have to start considering who his potential replacement might be if his extremely high demand on an extension doesn’t come down. There are some suggestions that his ask is as high as $42 million over six or seven years. Bobrovsky will turn 38 years old in September.
• The Seattle Kraken have intentions of being very aggressive this summer, so could that be a factor holding up Alex Tuch from re-signing with Buffalo before he becomes a free agent on July 1?
There is a lot of pressure on Seattle GM Jason Botterill to shake up the roster and, especially, to find more scoring. There is no doubt they could offer north of $10 million per season to the 30-year-old Tuch.
As Vegas continues to have success nearly every season since they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2017, the Kraken have missed the playoffs in four of their five seasons. Ownership wants to start seeing more progress.
• Quickly on Vegas, Kelly McCrimon confirmed on Wednesday that he granted permission for Bruce Cassidy to speak to another team during the Stanley Cup Final about a head coaching position. Many believe that team was Toronto, who hired Jim Hiller for their open position on Wednesday.
• Another interesting situation to watch: Will the Los Angeles Kings give their vacant captaincy to Drew Doughty, or elect to go with someone who has more longer-term upside for the franchise?
Doughty, 36, will be heading into the final season of his contract and would be eligible to extend as of July 1. The Kings and their veteran defenceman first need to agree on where they stand on his ice time and power play importance as he heads into his late-30s. Los Angeles certainly sees his role diminishing in both cases over the next few years and would want an extension that reflects that. Doughty currently makes $11 million against the salary cap.