Detroit Red Wings Face Many Questions, Have No Time to Waste in Coaching Search

The Detroit Red Wings face a number of questions in the team's search for a new head coach for next season.

The first question, of course, is, "Who?" 

After Mike Babcock left for the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is plenty of ongoing discussion regarding his replacement in Detroit.

One thing that is not up for discussion, however, is that the Wings need to settle on a coach in a quick, decisive manner.

Although there are still a few head coaches out there without a contract for next season—including Dan Bylsma, Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock (the latter two are still under contract until the end of June)—Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, per James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, intends to do just that, keeping his list of candidates very short.

At the top of that list appears to be Jeff Blashill, former Red Wings assistant coach and current head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' AHL affiliate.

Which leads to the question of why.

As in, why hasn't there been more conversation about the future coaching position in Detroit?

If Holland has already made up his mind to hire Blashill, then it is fine if the team does not announce it, as the Griffins are still in the middle of a playoff run and will open their Western Conference Final series against the Utica Comets on Sunday afternoon. Holland, Blashill and the Red Wings need not be a distraction to the Griffins on the team's quest to win its second Calder Cup in three seasons.

But if Blashill and Holland do not have an agreement in place, Holland needs to come to a consensus quickly on where he stands with other coaches on his short list.

This is because, despite this supposed "short" list of candidates—and the supposedly short time one might think it would take to interview them—the coaching market is heating up for candidates in terms of other teams finding coaches for next season.

The Red Wings have already watched one of the best coaches in the game in Babcock leave for Toronto and longtime Red Wings assistant coach Todd McLellan sign with the Edmonton Oilers, so the coaches with NHL experience are starting to disappear.

Sergei Grits/Associated Press/Associated Press

They cannot afford to let more coaches come off of the pending free-agent books without seriously considering to request permission to talk to said coach. Blashill is not the be-all and end-all in Detroit as far as coaches go, and even when one considers how far he's taken some of the current Red Wings players when they were under him in Grand Rapids, there are still alternate routes available.

Which leads to the final question of when.

When might Holland make an announcement about his update on a search for a new head coach? Holland was fairly open during an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger in regard to the contract status of Babcock during the World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

But will he be that open with his search for a new head coach? 

Probably not.

Hopefully, Holland is doing his due diligence with other coaches and has not just closed the door and penned Jeff Blashill's name as his next head coach.

Which leads to the last question of what.

What could be "better" for the Red Wings in terms of head coaches? Blashill wants "to be the next head coach of the Detroit Red Wings," per NHL.com, but if there's someone better out there for the Red Wings, why not go that route instead? And what qualifies as better?

These are questions that Ken Holland and the Red Wings brass will sit down this week and try and answer.