Red Wings GM: Babcock's contract unlikely to be extended prior to regular season

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland met with head coach Mike Babcock on Tuesday in regards to a possible contract extension, but it doesn't appear as though a deal will be struck prior to the club's season opener on Oct. 9.

" ... If you said to me, 'Does it look like we'll have a deal done between now and next Thursday?' I don't think so," Holland told the Free Press. "But we've talked and we'll continue to talk about it."

Babcock said he does not want to discuss an extension during the season, choosing rather to focus on the task at hand, namely guiding the Red Wings back to the playoffs.

Helene St. James reports it all boils down to whether Babcock wants to explore his options once his current deal expires:

Discussions center on a new contract for Babcock, who is entering the final year of a deal that will mark his 10th year behind Detroit's bench. The Wings want him back, and owner Mike Ilitch doesn't skimp on salary when he wants a high-profile person in his organization, so it's largely a matter of whether Babcock wants to come back, and how much term he wants, and how much of a raise he wants on the $2 million per year he's making now.

Holland added the situation will no longer be addressed directly to the media, which should only heighten the speculation about Babcock's future with the team.