Rumor: Mike Babcock may be on the verge of being fired.

The rumors have been floating around for the better part of two seasons now but it finally sounds like Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock may finally be on the verge of being fired.

On Saturday night during their weekly headlines segment both Sportsnet National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman and fellow Sportsnet NHL insider Chris Johnston expressed serious concerns about the future of the Maple Leafs head coach with the organization. Specifically it appears as though the loss to long time rivals the Boston Bruins on Friday night combined with what is starting to look like a blowout for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, the Penguins are currently up 5 - 0 at the time of this writing, may have been the final straw for Babcock with the insiders hinting at the fact that Babcock may not even get on the plane to Las Vegas.

"I mean look if they do not make a miraculous comeback in the third period, they are supposed to fly to Vegas tonight, all bets are off anything could happen here I think," said Friedman during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

According to Johnston it is not just about the fact that the Leafs have been struggling to secure wins this season, but also how the team has been losing that has raised serious concerns within the organization.

"They are really worried about the process I think more than just the losses," said Johnston. "When you see how many times they have gone down early in games this season and the way things have gone, I mean everything has to be considered. There is a lot riding on this season for the entire Leafs organization."

Although Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs did not want to put an end to Babcock's tenure as the head coach of their organization he now feels as though the current situation may have altered the thinking of the Leafs organization in that regard.

"The one thing I would say is that up until recently I think they really didn't want to do it," said Friedman. "I think they wanted to send a message that they were backing the coach and the group especially since a bunch of guys were hurt and out, but now I think this season could slide and I think all options could be on the table."

Very surprising stuff from two men with strong ties to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Could this be the end of Mike Babcock in Toronto?