Babcock close to a decision; will he visit Flyers next week?

Detroit coach Mike Babcock, who is being courted by a handful of teams, told TSN he wants to decide his future by Wednesday.

In an interview Friday with Darren Dreger at the World Championships in Prague, Babcock said: "There's no better job (available), there's a different job, so you have to be careful."

Babcock said he had more than one offer. The Flyers, Buffalo, and Toronto are among the teams enamored with Babcock.

Sources say he will have a tough time convincing his wife to leave their home in suburban Detroit. Babcock's contract with the Red Wings expires on June 30, but Detroit has given him permission to speak with other teams.

The process, Babcock said, has had his head "spinning."

Babcock, 52, is expected to return to Detroit on Sunday.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, who did not go to the Czech Republic for the World Championships, is mum on whether he will meet with Babcock early next week. The two are believed to have had a phone conversation, but Hextall said he will not comment on any aspect of the coaching search.

Ex-Flyers in Final Four. Several Flyers are in the conference finals, including three defensemen who were with Philadelphia in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals: Tampa Bay's Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle, and Chicago's Kimmo Timonen.

Coburn and Carle are a combined minus-10 in this year's playoffs.

Tampa Bay will meet the New Rangers in the Eastern Conference final, and Chicago will face Anaheim in the West. The Ducks' lineup includes ex-Flyer Patrick Maroon, who has four goals in nine playoff games this season.

In addition to Timonen, Chicago has former Flyers wingers Patrick Sharp, Dan Carcillo, and Kris Versteeg.

Predictions: I went 4-0 in the last round, running my playoff record to 11-1. The conference finals, however, are not easy to predict because the teams are evenly matched.

Before the season, I had Chicago beating Tampa Bay in the Cup Final, so I'll stick with those two teams in the conference finals.

Anaheim is big and fast, but the Blackhawks' big-game experience could be the difference. Chicago in seven.

In the East, the Lightning has more firepower than the Rangers. It's difficult picking against the great Henrik Lundqvist….but I will. Tampa Bay in six.

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.