Crazy reports that Sergei Fedorov will be next head coach of the Red Wings

With so many quality coaching candidates on the free market, you can't blame Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman for taking his time on making a hire. 

Yzerman, of course, dismissed longtime Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill earlier this offseason and hasn't yet named his replacement. Quality veteran head coaches like Barry Trotz, Peter DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy are all out there as options, but Vegas oddsmaker BetOnline actually has Red Wings legend Sergei Fedorov as the odds on favorite to land the gig.

Ummm... excuse me?

Sergei Fedorov?

The guy who CLEARLY has a fractured relationship with the Red Wings organization?

The guy who has never coached an NHL game in his life?

Not sure I'm buying it, but lets dive deeper.

Fedorov hasn't had much to do with the Red Wings organization since he left the team as a free agent in 2003 to sign a huge contract with the Anaheim Ducks. But, the damage between he and the Red Wings started back in 1998 when he signed a nearly $40 million offersheet contract with the Carolina Hurricanes that the Red Wings were forced to match. It's believed that by signing that deal, Red Wings brass saw it as an act of betrayal. It's believed that former owner Mike Ilitch then proclaimed that Fedorov's #91 would NEVER be retired, despite Fedorov putting up a Hall of Fame career.

For what it's worth, Fedorov is a well respected coach. He won the Gagarin Cup as the KHL's champion in his first season behind the bench with CSKA Moscow. But it should be noted that CSKA Moscow is absolutely LOADED with talent and well... let's just say that the KHL doesn't exactly punish teams for adhering to salary cap restrictions. It's believed that Fedorov and CSKA Moscow basically got consent to do whatever they wanted en route to a championship. Fedorov was previously the team's GM before taking over the head coaching role.

In any case, by all accounts Fedorov does appear to have a future as a professional coach either in Russia or in North America in the AHL or NHL. I'd be awfully surprised if he ends up back with the Red Wings organization though, but with Yzerman at the helm maybe now is the time for reconciliation?