Boston Bruins Should Explore Adding Mike Babcock as Coach
With former GM Peter Chiarelli now a onboard in Edmonton, the Boston Bruins have left current head coach Claude Julien dangling on the edge of uncertainty. His fate will be determined by whoever the club decides to appoint as Chiarelli’s replacement. The Red Wings recently granted Mike Babcock permission to speak with other teams regarding a new job. With a coach of his caliber available for the picking, and Julien faltering at the helm, it would be foolish of Boston’s brass not to explore a potential change behind the bench.
Don Sweeney, who had served as an assistant to Chiarelli, was appointed as interim GM by the team. He’s also said to be the leading candidate to land the GM job. With that said, the Bruins may look to finalize the hire with the hopes of striking dialogue with Babcock.
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This past season, Julien came under fire for a slew of costly reasons. His handling of the forward lines was suspect. His rigid defensive philosophy was called into question and his tendency to shy away from offensively inclined players is bothersome. According to one report, team president Cam Neely wanted to fire Julien amid the Bruins’ abysmal 2014-2015 season. Julien and the Bruins were marred by long stretches of putrid hockey and Neely wanted a change.
Once Neely identifies his next GM, a coaching change would not come as a surprise. Babcock is a perennial winner. Julien has had great success in Boston, but the Bruins demand excellence each year and the team fell well short of expectations this past year. Babcock is regarded by many as the best coach in hockey. If he were to depart Detroit, it would most likely only be for a storied franchise such as Boston.
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In 12 seasons as a head coach, Babcock has guided three Stanley Cup winning teams. He’s tallied 527 career wins. He has only missed the postseason once out of his 12 seasons behind the bench. Boston would not have to justify replacing Julien with a man with such a rich track record.
There’s no telling if Babcock even has interest in the Bruins. Everything is mere speculation at this point. One thing is for sure though and that is the fact that Babcock’s leadership, coaching style and strategic ways would make the Bruins an instant Cup contender again. Babcock demands respect, players trust him and he has an uncanny ability to always maintain a level-headed mindset.
Cap space is tight with the Bruins, so of course, signing Babcock would demand a lot upon how the team’s future GM goes about finagling finances.