Timeline revealed for when Edmonton Oilers are expected to hire Babcock
It sounds as though it’s only a matter of time before the Edmonton Oilers announce the hiring of Mike Babcock.
The Oilers’ interest in Babcock is nothing new, as it’s been heavily reported throughout the month of June that ownership, management, and the leadership group of players were on board with hiring the 63-year-old as their new head coach. That said, they needed to get permission from the NHL until they were ordered to do so.
That permission was granted on Thursday morning, with the NHL stating that they completed their review regarding Babcock’s tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, it sounds as though it’s only a matter of time until he is officially hired in Edmonton.
“Now that the league has cleared Mike Babcock, word is the Oilers will formally begin the process of hiring him ā contract negotiations, etc.” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted. “Assuming no snags, timeline appears to be early next week.”
There is a ton of risk in this hire, as Babcock’s treatment of players in the past has painted him in a very negative light. On top of that, his only Stanley Cup championship came behind the bench with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He was able to get the Wings back to the Cup Final the very next year, but has not led any teams past the second round of the playoffs since.
Following the firing of Kris Knoblauch shortly after being eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks, it was reported that the Oilers were looking to hire a more experienced coach with a winning pedigree. Babcock does bring that, though he’s not the only winning coach available.
One option the Oilers looked at was Peter Laviolette, though he instead accepted a job with the LA Kings. Craig Berube, who won a Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, remains available. As for Bruce Cassidy, it appears less and less likely that the Oilers were ever going to get permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to speak with him.
Unless something on the Cassidy situation resolves in the coming days, it sounds as though Babcock will be named as the Oilers’ new head coach next week.
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