I'll start off by saying I'm always skeptical in these situations. The Leafs are always rumored to be in on the big UFA (and I think Babcock counts in that category for simplicity) and if you've followed along the past decade or so the Leafs landed David Clarkson.
Mike Babcock is expected to make his decision today and yours truly was skeptical at this morning's Dreger rumors:
Crazy that Dreger announced Toronto is in on someone big.
— Chemmy (@felixpotvin) May 20, 2015 Since then Bob McKenzie and most of the hockey world has weighed in on this, but occasional PPP contributor / annoying twenty year old with bad shoes Jeff Veillette came up with this:
MLSE's private jet is scheduled to head to Detroit later today and depart within three minutes of arrival. http://t.co/zesztd4Fts
— Jeff Veillette (@Jeffler) May 20, 2015 This is by no means iron clad: the flight plan has the plane stopping for only three minutes and taking off from a different airport, and the Leafs can fly where ever they want for what ever reason they want which is the point of owning a private jet.
That said a flight plan is incredibly easy to change and perhaps the obvious errors will be corrected soon by someone with a laptop on an airplane.
Still not convinced?
Leafs source says they're hopeful on Babcock. Won't say more at this point.
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) May 20, 2015 Stay tuned for more rumor mongering and scuttlebutt and remember that if the Leafs sign Babcock we're committed to being the smuggest people in the entire world about it.