Why haven't the Flames offered Hartley a contract extension yet?

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by GoJetsGo

Not everything is an outrage. A week ago apparently Hartely "didn't like Gaudreau" and was sabotaging him by playing him limited minutes etc.

Did I say it was outrageous? Give it a rest and stop twisting peoples words.

[dammage79]

I buy that reasoning, wait to see what happens with Babcock.

I really don't see another coach out there that could replace Hartley nor would I want the Flames to even try. The short list for coaches should only be Babcock and Hartley for the Flames.

[Rerun]

So what's the deal with Babcock? Has he told Detroit that he wants to go elsewhere when his contract is up or has Detroit told him they have no plans to re-sign him... or is all this just media speculation?

[Enoch Root]

What's the hurry?

[sureLoss]

Reportedly the Red Wings have offered Babcock a 4 year deal just under $3million/year.

Babcock countered with 5 years and asking for more than $3million/year.

One of the big problems for Detroit is that he is reportedly asking for more money than what Ken Holland is making.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Rerun

So what's the deal with Babcock? Has he told Detroit that he wants to go elsewhere when his contract is up or has Detroit told him they have no plans to re-sign him... or is all this just media speculation?

Detroit want to re-sign him, but it's also about money. Babcock holds all the cards.

This is fact: Babcock is in the final year of his contract. He and general manager Ken Holland spoke about an extension in May or June. They went away for the summer without a deal, partly because Holland was in the final year of his contract and waiting on an extension of his own. Holland signed a four-year extension in August.

Babcock and Holland talked again in September. They are not actively negotiating at this point. That does not mean they won’t talk during the season – even though they won’t talk about it publicly now that the puck has dropped.

Repeatedly, Babcock has said he is in no rush, is not worried, is happy in Detroit, has a good relationship with Holland and knows the grass isn’t always greener. Yet he hasn’t signed.

“I expect as the year wears on, he and I will have ongoing conversations as to his situation,” said Holland on Thursday night before the Wings went out and beat the Boston Bruins, 2-1. “I’m hopeful that between now and the end of June that we can find a solution to keep Mike behind the bench.”

This is fact: Babcock’s salary is $2 million.

This is believed to be fact: The Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville is the highest-paid coach in the NHL with a salary of $2.75 million.

Joel Quenneville's salary is believed to be $2.75M. Detroit would likely match that on a multi-year deal for Babcock.

No one will comment on specifics, so this is informed speculation: Based on history, the Wings do not low-ball. They look at comparables to come up with what they feel are fair offers. They likely have offered Babcock a multi-year deal at a salary that at least matches Quenneville’s. Babcock has won one Stanley Cup and come within a game of another in Detroit; Quenneville has won two Cups in Chicago.

This is obvious: Babcock is not satisfied with the Wings’ offer, and he’s in a great position.

Babcock is the best coach in the NHL. Last season alone, he won his second Olympic gold medal with Team Canada, passed Scotty Bowman and Jack Adams to become the Wings’ all-time leader in wins, and extended the Wings’ playoff streak to 23 seasons, even though they suffered key injuries and relied upon kids and call-ups. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year.

He can afford to wait. He can see how the season goes. He can re-sign at any time or become a hot free agent. He has nothing left to prove in Detroit and nothing tying him to the team or the city after this season. His youngest child will graduate from high school in the spring. It is a rare opportunity.

But if he hasn’t already, he has to decide what he wants. Money? Power? The best chance to win? A new challenge?

In Detroit, he would be paid like the top coach in the league, have a stable GM with whom he works well, a team that spends to the salary cap and a group of up-and-coming young players.

Could he make more elsewhere – $4 million a year, even $5 million a year – and set a new standard for NHL coaches? Probably. The Toronto Maple Leafs kept Randy Carlyle after last season only because they didn’t feel there was a better option. They print money. They could blow away the Wings if Babcock becomes available.

Could he have control of personnel decisions elsewhere? Probably. Two things, though: It’s not like Babcock hasn’t had input in Detroit, and it hasn’t always gone well (see Cleary, Dan). He loves his summers in Saskatchewan, too.

Could he find a better chance to win? Maybe. It depends on what jobs are open. The Leafs do not present a better chance to win. The St. Louis Blues or the San Jose Sharks or some other team might. Wings stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are aging; replacing them will be a key issue.

Could he need a new challenge? Definitely. He has worried about that in the past. But he has said recently that isn’t as much of a factor anymore because the Wings have turned over so much of the roster. It’s like coaching a new team.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mike-ba...32484-nhl.html

[Rerun]

Well there's that old saying... a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. I don't see how Babcock, or anyone else for that matter, can get anymore out of the Flames than Hartley has.

And if Hartley got po'd at the Flames because he felt he deserved a contract extension and the Flames didn't offer one until the last minute, he might walk. I'm sure there are more than a few clubs out there who would be more than happy to have Bob Hartley as their coach.

[JonDuke]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Babcock land in Toronto. He needs a good challenge.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Well there's that old saying... a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. I don't see how Babcock, or anyone else for that matter, can get anymore out of the Flames than Hartley has.

And if Hartley got po'd at the Flames because he felt he deserved a contract extension and the Flames didn't offer one until the last minute, he might walk. I'm sure there are more than a few clubs out there who would be more than happy to have Bob Hartley as their coach.

If he has that type of mindset, I don't want him as our coach.

He's coached the Flames to 25th overall and 27th overall.

[Vinny01]

I do t see Treliving making his decision after a dozen games. Likely a deal gets done just a matter of when and my guess is sometime in mid-December. Last year was great and the start of this year has been solid but no need to rush things with 70 games left to play

[GioforPM]

Just because it hasn't been in the news doesn't mean it's not in the works. Hartley said he wasn't going to discuss whatever was going on this year.

[Itse]

Because there's no rush. Picking the next coach will be a huge decision. Treliving has seen Hartley's coaching through 11 games. That's not a lot.

I mean, how much of the teams attitude is Hartley, and how much Giordano becoming captain? We have seen very little of one without the other. Those are the kinds of things that you can only evaluate over time and from inside the organization. We can only guess.

[mrdonkey]

Wait, why are we talking about Mike Babcock? That's a pipe dream if I ever heard one.

Both the team and Hartley are benefitting from a positive atmosphere as is. It makes no sense to mess with that over a long shot that may or may not even gel with this group. They'll work out an agreement when the timing makes sense.

[Jacks]

If I had to guess I'd say they are negotiating term. Hartley has spent time out of the NHL and probably wants some job security now that he is back in. The Flames probably don't want to commit to any more than a year or two. I doubt that either side doesn't want to do a deal.

[troutman]

Would rather have Hartley than Babcock. No joke.

[Joborule]

It would be premature to resign him now. If Flames continue to great effort throughout the rest of the season (likely), then resign him near the end for keeping the team compete level high consistently.

[dissentowner]

The biggest mistake the Calgary Flames could make is not re-upping Bob Hartley.

[timbit]

He has his team now.

[Sandman]

Isn't Tippett's contract up this year? I personally would like to see Hartley re-signed, but maybe he is Treliving's guy? There's alot of familiarity there.....

[shogged]

Two more rematches coming up next week, will say a lot about Hartleys coaching. So far so good after the convincing win tonight.