Jeff Blashill set to be named Detroit Red Wings head coach: Report
Now that the Grand Rapids Griffins have been eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs, Jeff Blashill can move on up the coaching ranks. According to Ansar Khan, the Detroit Red Wings will announce next week that Blashill will take Mike Babcock's old job as head coach next season.
From MLive.com:
Blashill, 41, will become the second-youngest head coach in the NHL, behind recently hired John Hynes of the New Jersey Devils, who is 40.
Blashill likely will receive a three-year contract, since general manager Ken Holland has three years remaining on his deal.
When Babcock entered the 2014-15 season without a contract, the speculation began about his future with Blashill easily lined up as the heir apparent.
What makes Blashill the best choice? He’s coached a number of current Red Wings, as Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press points out. Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist, Joakim Andersson, Tomas Tatar, Tomas Jurco, Landon Ferraro, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser played under him in Grand Rapids, along with the likes of Teemu Pulkkinen, Alexey Marchenko and Xavier Ouellet, who will be promoted full-time in the near future.
- - - - - - -
Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY:
