REPORT: Mike Babcock making NHL Return to coaching? Rumour for Western Conference team

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Ryan
November 14, 2022 (2:49 PM)

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Mike Babcock is one of the winningest coaches of all time. He is currently ranked 11th in wins all time with a record of 700-418-19-164 which is a winning percentage of .608.

Babcock has won an AHL championship and a Stanley cup during his tenure as a head coach. His last coaching job was with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he had a winning record, but rumour was he lost the team's confidence. There was also some controversial scenario's with star players like Mitch Marner that got leaked to the media after his firing, which did not sit well with fans.

There have been plenty of moments during Babcock's coaching career that have upset fans, and one of them was healthy scratching Mike Modano in the final game of the season which would have been Modano's 1500th game, instead Modano retired at 1499.

Regardless of these classless antics, Babcock knew how to coach and has mentioned in the past he would like to get back into coaching.

There is a certain Western Conference team right now that is underachieving and currently sits in 30th place in the league despite having a deep lineup. That team is the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues. The Blues are currently sitting with a 5-8-0 record and have lost 8 of their last 10, something needs to change.

Recently in an article for the Toronto Sun, Steve Simmons stated that he believed Mike Babcock would be a perfect candidate to take over as head coach for this former championship team.

If St. Louis makes a coaching change, would Mike Babcock get any consideration to coach the Blues? Babcock has worked with GM Doug Armstrong in the past.

Will being out of the coaching game for a few years have changed Babcock's thinking? Would he be a good fit to come in and take over the Blues?

Let's not forget, Babcock was chosen over lots of head coaches like Barry Trotz, to be the coach for Team Canada on multiple occasions, so obviously even elite general managers like Steve Yzerman believe in what Babcock brings.