McDavid explains why he supports Edmonton Oilers hiring Babcock
The Edmonton Oilers leadership group made it clear to management that they needed a coach who would push them.
Under head coach Kris Knoblauch, and many others before, for that matter, both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl seemed to have a big say in how the team played, and how much they played. That will no longer be the case, as the two big guns, now in their 30s, realize something different needed to happen.
“It’s different, it’s something we’ve never had in Edmonton,” McDavid said in a chat with TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. “We’ve had a lot of coaches come through [here], and they’ve all been great in different ways, and they’ve all failed in different ways. Babs is going to be different.
“He’s going to hold guys accountable. He’s going to hold me accountable. It starts right at the top. It starts right with me. I want him to do that. It starts with Leo, and moves on down to [Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins] and everybody. We want him to be hard on the top guys.”
Babcock certainly has no issues when it comes to being hard on his players. In fact, it’s been reported that during a meeting with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman, he made it very clear that they are part of the reason why the Oilers have yet to win it all.
There were no hard feelings during the conversation. In fact, it sounds as though the trio agreed with what the 63-year-old had to say.
“We had questions for him, and he had questions for us,” McDavid explained. “It was a two-way street. I think both sides left the meeting feeling pretty good about where things were at. We had a pretty good understanding of what to expect come September.”
Part of Babcock’s message during his introductory press conference was that everybody on the roster needs to feel important and play a role. That could mean less ice time for McDavid and Draisaitl, something many have been suggesting for years.
“It’s not something that you want every day, to be sat or have a hard conversation, but it’s all part of it,” McDavid said. “It’s something that we haven’t had in Edmonton ever. I want to be pushed. I can be better, Leon can be better, Bouch can be better. I think Mike can do that.”
While Babcock won’t have any issues running a tight ship, it remains to be seen whether or not he is the one to lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup.
Babcock’s last game coached behind an NHL bench came during the 2019-20 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His last playoff series win came way back in 2013 with the Detroit Red Wings. The game has changed a lot since then.
Though there are plenty of opinions on this hiring, the one positive Oilers fans can take away is that it feels as though the players are on board. We will find out soon enough if it can help them turn things around after what was a disappointing 2025-26 season.