Where will Mike Babcock coach next season? That’s the question everyone has been debating since the Detroit Red Wings were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Predictions over where Babcock will land have shifted seemingly every time the coach makes a statement to the media.
Don Cherry has a suggestion on where Babcock should head for the next chapter in his coaching career: San Jose.
Via Sportsnet.ca, Cherry offers some advice to Babcock:
“Of all the guys in the world that should tell Babcock what to do, it’s me.
I have some suggestions for him. I would say San Jose. Don’t go to a rebuilding team, it’ll break your heart. You only have one life, enjoy it. Go to San Jose. I bet he goes to San Jose, I think that’s where he’s going to go.”
By a “rebuilding team” it’s pretty clear Cherry is referring to the Toronto Maple Leafs or even the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, Cherry suggests that Babcock should go to a team that’s closer to winning such as the San Jose Sharks.
This isn’t exactly shocking or new advice. If Babcock leaves Detroit and decides to take on a new challenge, it’s doubtful he’ll want to endure a multiple-year rebuild. Instead, he’d likely want to slide in and help a team immediately compete for a Stanley Cup. The Sharks are still missing some pieces required to make a deep playoff run, but they’re a lot closer than the Maple Leafs or the Oilers.
