from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
The Leafs are known to covet Babcock, and as one of the NHL's billion-dollar franchises, they have the money to pay him whatever he wants. The Wings, however, have an owner in Mike Ilitch who repeatedly has shown that he'll pay to keep the talent he wants. The Wings are prepared to give Babcock the $3 million annually that would make him the NHL's highest-paid coach, and to offer it for five years.
Babcock and Holland won't directly talk publicly about the subject, but Babcock reiterated today what he has said many times before: He is happy in Detroit.
And why not? He has a competitive team highlighted by superstars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and many young, talented players. He did speak again, also, of how big of a difference it'd make to add a quality defenseman who shoots right-handed.
Babcock can leave players checking their self-esteem at times, but ultimately, they know he does it for a reason.
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