Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/5/2015 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Mike Babcock took a huge step for his fellow NHL coaches by promoting himself as a free agent and scoring the largest contract in the history of his fraternity. His brothers now need to band together and demand salary disclosure to further their own cause and not let his work fall by the wayside.

Gordie Howe didn’t know what the rest of the players in the NHL made. Neither did Bobby Orr. No one knew Scotty Bowman was making an unheard-of $200,000 when he left the Montreal Canadiens to coach the Buffalo Sabres. Salary disclosure changed the pay scale for players in the NHL and it will do the same for coaches.

Babcock, who has an average annual salary of $6.25 million after agreeing Wednesday to an eight-year, $50-million deal to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, now makes twice as much as any other coach in the NHL. After spending the last 10 seasons in Detroit, where he guided the Red Wings to five division titles and a Stanley Cup championship in 2007-08 while also directing Team Canada to Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, Babcock had the resumé to back up his salary demands.

He makes almost $5 million more than Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice, who earns $1.5 million annually in the league’s smallest market.

Don’t expect Jets co-owner Mark Chipman to instruct GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to reopen Maurice’s deal — but Babcock’s contract is going to have an effect on what coaches around the league are paid.

When Bob Goodenow took over the NHLPA, he convinced the players they needed to adopt salary disclosure under the theory the rising tide lifts all boats. It worked. The biggest tool player agents have today in negotiating deals for their clients is what other players are making.

NHL coaches have an association but to date they haven’t empowered it. There’s long been sabre-rattling from some GMs to their coaches. Don’t share your salary info or else.

It’s easy for one boss to control one employee. But if it’s done en masse, it’s impossible to jam 30 corks back into one bottle. And once it becomes standard procedure, it’s just part of the routine.

NHL coaches bear the brunt of daily media pressure and are held responsible when a team fails. And they get fired. A lot. Relative to what players are paid in the NHL, coaches deserve better salaries and more security.

Some have suggested Babcock’s self-promotion the last few weeks was unseemly. To me, it was ground-breaking. Yes, he gets the direct spoils of his new $50-million deal, but the rest of his colleagues will indirectly benefit. They owe it to Babcock to push further down the road he has now forged.

***

Best of the West: The Leafs have Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas just below president Brendan Shanahan on the hockey management side. If they add a third in a vice-president or assistant GM role, Kelly McCrimmon and his unparalleled knowledge of the Western Hockey League is a first and last call kind of guy.

McCrimmon is owner, GM and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings and is as sharp a hockey mind as one will come across. McCrimmon has an MBA and has successfully operated the Wheat Kings since 1992. He knows players, he knows business and he knows hockey. He’s a first-rate person. The Leafs, or any NHL club for that matter, would be lucky to have him.



What about Burmi? Another day and another rumour out of Russia that Alex Burmistrov wants to return to the NHL and the Winnipeg Jets.

Burmistrov left Winnipeg for the KHL two years ago. His contract is about to run out and he’ll be eligible to return. He’s on the Jets’ reserve list and he has to deal with Winnipeg if he’s going to play in the NHL.

Burmistrov’s agent Mike Liut has been in conversation with the 23-year-old centre for some time about a potential NHL comeback. This season, Burmistrov had 10 goals and 16 assists for Kazan Ak-Bars. The previous year, he had 10 goals and 27 assists.

The KHL only awards one assist per goal and the season is 60 games long. Alexander Radulov led the league in scoring with 71 points. It’s difficult to take offensive numbers culled on the big ice in the KHL and determine what they will translate to in the NHL.

Burmistrov, however, is not a one- dimensional player and can check when inspired. He left in a huff over how then Jets coach Claude Noel was using him. He wanted top-six ice and power-play time, not to be deployed as a defensive-zone specialist.

The question now is can Burmistrov fit into head coach Paul Maurice’s culture? This is really pretty simple from the Jets’ perspective. They own Burmistrov until he’s 27. So if he wants to come back, they’ll likely want to sign him to a one-year deal and not for much more than $2 million. If he’s a fit, they can look at a longer term. If he’s not, it’ll be back to the KHL for a few more seasons or maybe a trade and a new lease on life.

Burmistrov could help diminish a problem for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff that appears to be coming down the tracks and that’s the impending departure of Michael Frolik.

Want more sports? Get news and notes from the local amateur sports scene in your inbox. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The Jets and Frolik have not yet come to terms and there doesn’t appear to be a lot of chatter going back and forth between the two sides. They have until July 1 to strike a deal but must be far apart on money and term right now.

Maybe there’s a sudden coming together of opinions and Cheveldayoff is able to re-sign Frolik, but with every passing day the likelihood of such a possibility grows smaller.

The Burmistrov that left the Jets two years ago isn’t comparable to the Frolik, who had 19 goals and 23 assists playing on Winnipeg’s top line this season. But he’s four years younger and would come a lot cheaper.

Burmistrov for Frolik isn’t an even trade. Not even close. But if one is leaving, an opportunity may open up for the other.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless