NHL insider Seravalli rips Edmonton Oilers over Babcock rumours
It feels like Mike Babcock is a lock to become the next head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, and the decision is causing an uproar in the city.
Things got serious quickly after news broke of the Oilers’ interest in Babcock on Monday. At first, it felt like the team was maybe checking in to see if there was a fit, but that quickly morphed into a full-court press as it was revealed that the 63-year-old coach had already met with Edmonton owner Daryl Katz and members of the Oilers leadership group.
Connor McDavid has also reportedly gone as far as to give his stamp of approval on Babcock becoming Edmonton’s next head coach.
It seems that Babcock is the guy for the Oilers, but that will come with quite a bit of controversy. The fanbase is largely against the rumoured move, and even noted NHL insiders are railing against it.
Frank Seravalli tore into the Oilers over the rumours on Monday’s edition of OilersNow with Bob Stauffer.
“What a massive tactical error,” Seravalli said. “How did we go from one end of the spectrum to the other? How did we go from Bruce Cassidy to the other end of it?
“The fact that they arrived at this point now for no reason, it’s unforced, it’s completely unforced.”
Babcock is perhaps the most controversial figure the Oilers could have given the job to. He has long been plagued by allegations of player mistreatment, ranging from verbal assault to invasion of privacy.
Before these reports hit, it was widely expected that Edmonton would wait until the Stanley Cup Final ended to see if the Vegas Golden Knights would give them permission to speak to Bruce Cassidy. That doesn’t appear to be the case now.
Seravalli questioned the timing of this, as it wasn’t like Babcock was a hot commodity that would be off the board anytime soon. Edmonton certainly could have taken more time with its decision to see if Cassidy shakes loose.
“We have no clarity on Bruce Cassidy and his availability,” Seravalli said. “They’re making this decision now. Why? There is only one other coaching vacancy in the NHL, and it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’re not bringing back Mike Babcock.
“Mike Babcock is gonna be there two days from now, two weeks from now, two months from now, because the Oilers are the only team that could or would hire Mike Babcock.”
A lot has been made of the Oilers’ leadership group, including McDavid, giving their stamp of approval on this potential hire. Getting the players on board should certainly help convince the NHLPA to approve Babcock’s return to the league.
Yet, Seravalli wasn’t too convinced about that angle.
“What was [McDavid] supposed to say? ‘Oh no, we’re too soft, we can’t handle Mike Babcock,’ that wouldn’t be a good look,” Seravalli said. “The only reason [McDavid’s] been brought in is because they had to, because it wouldn’t be possible to get this pushed through without someone like him and the other Oilers leadership group being able to vouch for them wanting Mike Babcock.
“It would be a non-starter; they had to go to the players and bring them in, because it was such a toxic departure from Columbus.”
It’s not like Babcock hasn’t had plenty of opportunities to get back into the NHL since he re-signed with the Blue Jackets prior to the 2023-24 season. In fact, a total of 23 teams have replaced coaches since that happened.
Seravalli pointed out that those teams opted to steer away from the controversy-laden coach, so what changed with the Oilers?
“Almost all of these jobs have turned over except Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper, and maybe someone else,” Seravalli said. “Why is it that all of these other teams have passed on Mike Babcock, except for the Columbus Blue Jackets?”
Nothing has been made official between the Oilers and Babcock, as the move will still need to be cleared with the NHL and NHLPA. Still, the way that Edmonton’s coaching saga has played out has been far from perfect.
Babcock could be exactly what this Oilers team needs to get over the hump, or he could wind up being a major bust.