Sharp: Seems Babcock isn't attracting that much interest

Mike Babcock sought a hotter-looking girlfriend.

He already had a pretty attractive young lady on his arm the past 10 years. They were the perfect couple. But he wanted to see whether he could do better. Why? Because he could. He has a Stanley Cup and two Olympic gold medals as Canada's coach. And now the open flirtations of the past couple of weeks will result in an important decision in the next couple of days that could create a very awkward situation for Babcock and the Detroit Red Wings.

Both parties paved the path for an amicable separation. But by all reported accounts, it doesn't appear Babcock attracted the interest from as many supermodels as he might have thought. That might improve the odds of Babcock inking a new contract with the Wings this week, but how can it not publicly look as though he is settling for the lesser of several competitive ills?

That's not exactly a confession of true love and devotion.

Detroit is an extraordinarily sensitive sports town. It had lost the two biggest unrestricted free-agent stars in baseball and football within a span of six weeks this year when Max Scherzer broke the bank with the Washington Nationals and Ndamukong Suh chose to become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history with the Miami Dolphins rather than earning the same distinction with the Lions.

But harder still on its often fragile psyche is the thought that stars could even hope to find it better elsewhere considering the fans' unbridled passion and — at least in the case of the Ilitch family — ownership not averse to investing whatever necessary to keep the best happy and appreciative of where they are.

Babcock insisted at the start of this courtship that there were no hidden agendas. He made it clear how much he enjoyed working for the Wings, but he would approach free agency with an open mind and a willingness to consider all options. His main priority was winning another Stanley Cup, wherever that quest took him. During an interview with TSN Canada this past weekend at the world hockey championships in the Czech Republic, Babcock sounded as though the experience humbled him.

"It's been an interesting process," Babcock said with Wings general manager Ken Holland sitting beside him. "I brought this on myself. I've learned a ton about myself and (his relationship with Holland) and the NHL. It's been great."

Babcock added in the TSN interview that there wasn't a "better job" than the Wings', but he was merely opening the door to consider a "different job."

Huh?

If there truly wasn't a better job than what he has, what is the point in dangling your gold medals out there to see what you can attract unless this coach fishing expedition was nothing more than an exercise in personal vanity? If there was absolute confidence that the Wings' next transformative star (à la Pavel Datsyuk) already was in the organization and perhaps a year or two away from blossoming, then wouldn't Babcock have agreed to the second generous contract extension in six months Holland offered in January if this were truly "the better job"?

It's believed that only Toronto and Buffalo submitted the necessary compensation paperwork to the league. The Wings demanded a third-round pick within the next three years for any team that signs Babcock. The Wings remain a better option than the Leafs and Sabres, but that doesn't mean they're any closer to seriously contending for a Stanley Cup in the immediate future.

And wasn't that Babcock's self-imposed bottom line in this process?

It's still stunning that Pittsburgh showed no interest in Babcock, considering Sidney Crosby's vast organizational influence and that the Penguins have the impactful stars Babcock seeks in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are under 30. Boston apparently balked as well after missing the playoffs.

And then Montreal didn't hesitate endorsing head coach Michel Therrien's return soon after Tampa Bay eliminated the Habs in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The hottest-looking girls weren't interested.

Contact Drew Sharp: dsharp@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @drewsharp.