Mike Babcock officially hits the coaching free agent market

In case you were wondering when Mike Babcock’s coaching free agency begins … it starts in oh, three, two, one NOW.

Noon Eastern according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who had the bombshell that Babcock, the long-time Red Wings coach, now has permission to talk to other NHL teams through late May. And that permission started at the aforementioned time. So 9 a.m. Pacific time if you’re the San Jose Sharks or 10 a.m. Mountain time if you’re the Edmonton Oilers.

Obviously this would also be noon for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.

And if you’re a team that had a coach twisting in the wind -- see Bruins, Boston and Julien, Claude -- is it time to fire said coach, rather than do the super NHL thing of waiting forever and doing it in June or something?

Per McKenzie of the one million-plus Twitter followers, Babs is going to the World Championships to watch Detroit prospect Dylan Larkin. But of course there are a ton of management types over there, watching, scouting and working for Team Canada and Team USA amongst others. It’s a great ground for networking.

McKenzie notes that this doesn’t mean Babcock will leave Detroit. We agree on this front, though his ‘heat of the moment’ press conference after the Wings lost Game 7 to Tampa didn’t sound promising. A lot of what he said was right, though, and sometimes the truth hurts.

According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, there is a kicker in regards to whether Babcock signs with another team between now and May 25.

Not like that number really equates to Babcock’s value for the Red Wings, but it's something.

If you’re a free agent, wouldn’t you want to increase your leverage for a new contract? Babcock has played the game perfectly to where he has become the most sought after free agent in hockey this offseason. And rightfully so in many ways. The Red Wings have been in player personnel decline for some years now, and his coaching ability has enabled them to still make the playoffs – albeit lose in the first or second round.

Also, long time ago, but he was the coach for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003, when they went on that run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. J.S. Giguere has received most of the credit for that team, but so should Babcock. He has won a Stanley Cup, made three Final appearances, and of course there’s that whole gold medal thing with Canada at the Olympics.

The biggest players for Babcock will likely be the Sabres, Maple Leafs and Oilers.

Edmonton CEO Bob Nicholson has ties to Babcock from the Canadian Olympic team. Buffalo general manager Tim Murray worked with Babcock when both were in Anaheim. The Maple Leafs likely have the most money to go after Babcock, and offer the prestige of turning around the 'Original Six' franchise.

As for the Red Wings, this makes general manager Ken Holland look like an even-keeled, benevolent despot. He’s letting Babcock take a gander around. If he wants to come back, great. If he doesn’t, he did the ‘honorable’ thing to give Babs his shot at free agency. If Babcock wants to go, this at least gives him time to move his family and start the process of building with a new team.

And maybe the lack of an iron fist approach on his ability to scope the landscape will help Babs realize, said in Babs’ voice ‘hey, you know I like Detroit because the management is good.’

If only Little Caesars actually tasted like pizza, Holland could use that as a bargaining chip.

At very least, if Babcock leaves now, Holland gets something, though a third round pick isn't much.

So here we are. Babcock’s free agency has officially begun. Enjoy the ride all you non-Red Wings fans. As for Wings fans, call Clevelanders to ask how they dealt with LeBron’s ‘decision’ in the summer of 2010 for advice. It probably involved a bottle of scotch.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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