TORONTO -- Connor McDavid believes Mike Babcock is “the perfect fit” to coach the Edmonton Oilers.
Such is the confidence the Oilers captain and teammate Leon Draisaitl have that any lingering questions there may be about Babcock’s at-times controversial past have been answered. Instead, they point to their new coach’s on-ice track record, a resume that includes a Stanley Cup championship in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings and victories with Canada at the 1997 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2004 IIHF World Championship, the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
He is 12th in NHL history with 700 wins and 17th with 1,301 games in 17 seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I think that what obviously we see is a great opportunity to be coached by someone who's coached in every single big game there is to coach in, who's been successful, won Cups, gold medals -- you name it, he's done it,” McDavid said Monday. “It's a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him and learn off him with where our group's at and what we're looking for.
“He's the perfect fit. You know, he's not going to need to come in and find who he is as a coach or find himself in those situations. He knows what he's about as a coach, and it's our job as players to be ready to go.”
Babcock was hired June 23 after the NHL cleared him to return to coaching in lieu of an investigation into his brief tenure as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets three years ago.
The 63-year-old had been hired by Columbus on July 1, 2023, but resigned prior to the start of the season, five days after the “Spittin' Chiclets” podcast reported he asked players to share personal photos on their private mobile devices. The situation was investigated by the NHL Players' Association before Babcock and the Blue Jackets on Sept. 17 agreed to begin the process for him to step down as coach.
When word surfaced the Oilers were exploring hiring Babcock, the League held an investigation into his time in Columbus.
The NHL on June 18 said in a statement that, “the League has completed its review of Mike Babcock's tenure in Columbus, and of certain alleged conduct associated therewith. Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the League.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked last month about Babcock being hired by the Oilers following a Board of Governors meeting.
"Based on our investigation, we concluded there was no basis upon which he should be prohibited from coaching, and his ability to coach depended on an NHL team wanting to have him coach and sign him, which is what Edmonton did," Bettman said.
Mike Zeisberger
McDavid, Draisaitl and teammate Zach Hyman met with Babcock before he was hired by the Oilers to iron out any concerns they might have with the coach, who has not been behind an NHL bench since being fired by Toronto after going 9-10-4 in the first 23 games of the 2019-20 season.
“(That was) very important,” Draisaitl said. “As we all know, there's history there, and I think we got that all off the table. We had an honest conversation about it and he was very honest about it.
“I think for us, it's time to move on and look forward to the start of the year. We’re extremely excited.”
“I think it's just the time that we're all in in our career, I guess the age that we're at, and I think he's the right guy to get us to where we want to get to,” the 30-year-old center said. “Obviously it's a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, very excited to work with him, and yeah, like I said, very excited to get going.”
To Draisaitl’s point, the Oilers’ window to win remains open.
They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, only to lose to the Florida Panthers each time. Edmonton (41-30-11) finished second in the Pacific Division last season before losing to the Anaheim Ducks in six games in the Western Conference First Round, which led to the firing of Kris Knoblauch as coach May 14.
The clock is also potentially ticking on McDavid’s time in Edmonton. The 29-year-old center is entering the first season of a two-year, $25 million contract ($12.5 million average annual value) and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2028. McDavid led the NHL last season with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) in 82 games and is second in Oilers history with 1,220 points (409 goals, 811 assists) in 794 games, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (1,669 points; 583 goals, 1,086 assists).
Aside from Babcock’s hiring, Edmonton has adjusted its roster this offseason, highlighted by the addition of goalie Frederik Andersen, who helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Cup last season, and the trading of veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. The Oilers also signed defenseman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million contract ($4 million AAV).
“It’s very exciting, first and foremost, with the new guys coming in,” McDavid said. “Obviously it’s disappointing too, to lose someone like Darnell and the rest of the guys, but it's part of the business.
“Unfortunately it’s hard to really put into words what (Nurse) has meant to not only me, but the whole group and everybody in Edmonton. So, (I’m) extremely disappointed to see that happen, but at the same time really excited about some new additions.”