Oddsmakers: Babcock the betting favourite to be next Maple Leafs coach, GM
9 years ago
Photo Credit: Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
Could Detroit Red Wings and Canadian Olympic men’s ice hockey team head coach Mike Babcock be both the next general manager and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs?
It seems unlikely, as the dual coach and general manager role has gone the way of the stand up goaltender and the one-dimensional enforcer. That said, according to on-line sports book Bodog.ca, Babcock is the odds-on favourite to replace both Dave Nonis and Peter Horachek in their respective roles with the Maple Leafs.
Here are the full odds on who will replace Peter Horachek as the next head coach of the Maple Leafs, as priced out by Bodog.ca:
Who will be the next Full Time Head Coach of the Toronto Maple LeafsMike Babcock 9/5
Todd McLellan 9/4
Jeff Blashill 9/2
Dan Bylsma 11/2
Doug Gilmour 6/1
Peter DeBoer 6/1
Dallas Eakins 13/2
Dallas Eakins??!? He deserves longer odds after the clustercuss that was his Edmonton Oilers tenure.
So the betting favourites are Babcock, McLellan, Blashill and Bylsma. That’s a nice roster of talent. Taken as a whole it would seem that at the very least the oddsmakers expect Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan to land a stellar talent to serve as the club’s bench boss next season.
Here are Bodog.ca’s full odds for the next general manager oft the Maple Leafs:
Who will be the next Full Time General Manager of the Toronto Maple LeafsMike Babcock 2/1
Mike Futa 5/2
Ray Shero 9/2
Peter Chiarelli 6/1
Doug Wilson 10/1
Paul Fenton 10/1
Sean Burke 10/1
Julien Brisebois 12/1
Jason Botterill 12/1
Kyle Dubas 25/1
I guess Bodog.ca is buying into the notion that Babcock wants to, not just coach a team, but assemble it as well.
Behind Babcock as betting favourites to be the next general manager of the Maple Leafs includes ex-Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero (hope you like drafting defenseman!), current Los Angeles Kings assistant general manager Mike Futa, and recently deposed Boston Bruins executive Peter Chiarelli, who would seem to be something of a long shot for the job according to the formulation of TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
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