One of the major storylines from the offseason was the hiring of Mike Babcock by the Edmonton Oilers to replace the fired Kris Knoblauch, the coach that had led them to consecutive berths in the Stanley Cup Final.
Knoblauch was terminated along with assistant coach Mark Stuart, and replaced by Babcock and DJ Smith. Babcock is back in the NHL for the first time since his very brief stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 which ended in controversy.
Despite previous concerns, Babcock was fully investigated by the NHL and fully cleared for employment, and the Oilers believe that his championship experience at both the NHL and international levels can get them over the hump.
Edmonton Oilers Coach Mike Babcock Reveals The Key Role That Veteran Players Will Play
Babcock, who has coached some of the most respected veteran players in the NHL over the course of his coaching career, had plenty of things to say about some of the established players in the Oilers lineup.
‘We got veteran guys that are going to have a voice,” he said recently on the Jake’s Takes podcast based out of Toronto. “Ekholm. He’s been around forever. He knows. He’s a man. He’s not shy. Nuge’s been around forever. They know. Not shy. Hyman knows. Not shy. Draisaitl and McDavid aren’t kids. They know. They’re not scared of any coach. They’re sharing their thoughts with you and I’m sharing my thoughts with them. We’re going to come up with whatever is the best for the Oilers and go.”
Meanwhile, he also praised goaltender Frederik Andersen, whom the Oilers signed from the Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes to a one-year contract.
“Freddy Andersen’s a man,” he said. “He’s a good human being.”
Babcock coached Andersen during their time together with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as did Zach Hyman.
Oilers’ Zach Hyman Praised Mike Babcock As A Head Coach
Despite his past controversies, Oilers forward Zach Hyman, who played under Babcock with the Toronto Maple Leafs, believes Edmonton will benefit from his hiring.
“He’s a demanding coach, but I always found he was very honest with his approach and every time you step out there, you know exactly what your role is and what you need to do to help the team be successful,” Hyman said of Babcock. “There is no gray, it’s very black and white and you’re held accountable. If you don’t do something, it will be shown on video the next day.
“I think it’s just very clear, he’s very smart and he’s very good with the details of the game. You’ll always be the most prepared team, and you’ll always be ready to play.”
Additionally, Hyman praised assistant DJ Smith, who was on Babcock’s staff in Toronto.
“You have D.J. Smith who’s there as an associate coach who has worked with ‘Babs’ in Toronto,” Hyman said, “and D.J. is a phenomenal coach and he’s coached almost 400 games in the NHL himself (340) and has very good temperature of the locker room and players. So I think there is someone in the coaches’ room, as well as (assistant Paul McFarland), you have two coaches that worked with ‘Babs’ that know his style and if there’s anything, they know when to step in and know how to help ‘Babs’ with whatever he needs help with. And as players, we want somebody to come in that can keep us accountable.”
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