NHL.com: Shanahan to return, Asst. Coaches Smith & Kocur will not
Brendan Shanahan will remain a Red Wing for at least one more season. The Wings also announced that new coach Mike Babcock has hired Paul MacLean as an assistant. MacLean was an assistant the last two seasons at Anaheim with Babcock. Barry Smith and Joe Kocur will not return as assistants.
My View: None of this is that surprising, as Shanahan would have had to take a bigger paycut to play elsewhere. I didn’t expect Smith or Kocur to return and won’t be surprised if they both end up elsewhere as assistants. It would have been nice to have had Smith stick around, but it would have been awkward for Babcock, given Smith’s tenure with the Wings.
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