Is Mike Babcock an option to take over as head coach in another Canadian market?

An interesting proposition came up during a recent episode of Donnie And Dhali connecting the Vancouver Canucks and veteran head coach Mike Babcock that sparked an intense debate between the co-hosts of the program.

It's no secret that the Vancouver Canucks are in the midst of a slump and there does not appear to be an easy way out of it, which has led many to believe that major organizational changes are coming.

The CHEK TV co-hosts went back and forth, with Dhali believing that since the Canucks are rumoured to not want to spend big on their next coach, Babcock is not even in consideration - while Donnie believes that Babcock may consider coming back to the NHL at a massive discount due to being viewed as "damaged goods" at this point.

"Do you think Mike Babcock is coming here for $800,000 a year?" Dhali asked?

"What do you think his asking price is right now?" Donnie responded. "It's not going to be $6M a year."

Babcock is currently coaching the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, but is still on the Toronto Maple Leafs payroll after being let go midway through his 8-year, $50M contract back in November of 2019. Donnie certainly does raise a good point in that if any veteran head coach would take a discount, it might be Mike Babcock at this stage in his career. At this point, it seems pretty unlikely, but it's a fun thought nonetheless.

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