Mike Babcock remained a hot topic as a group of Edmonton Oilers players gathered on Monday at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto for the seventh annual Zach Hyman Charitable Golf Tournament.
The Oilers hired Babcock as head coach after the NHL cleared the 63-year-old to return following a controversial end to his brief tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Babcock resigned on Sept. 17, 2023 before coaching a game with Columbus after it was reported on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast that he asked players to share personal photos from their phones.
The Oilers leadership group had the chance to speak with Babcock before the hiring was announced.
“As we all know, there’s history there,” centre Leon Draisaitl said. “But I think we got that all off the table. We had an honest conversation about it. 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 and we’re extremely excited.”
Babcock has not been behind an NHL bench since being fired as Leafs coach on Nov. 20, 2019. So, why is he the right man for the Oilers job?
“I think it’s just the time that we’re all in in our career, I guess the age that we’re in, and I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to,” said Draisaitl, who will turn 31 in October. “Obviously, it’s a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, very excited to work with him. Yeah, like I said, very excited to get going.”
Captain Connor McDavid and veteran winger Zach Hyman expressed similar sentiments during conversations with TSN reporter Ryan Rishaug following the Babcock hiring.
Hyman played for Babcock in Toronto and acknowledged getting a lot of calls from Oilers teammates with questions about the coach.
“Obviously when you’re the guy who’s played for a coach that’s coming in, everybody wants your opinion or your take on it,” Hyman said. “I obviously had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto. I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players that were there. All of us have had pretty long careers and are still playing and he set the foundation for us. I think he’s a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him. I’m happy he went through the process with the NHL and the NHLPA and all those questions were answered and I think, from a player’s standpoint, we’re excited for what he brings.”
Babcock oversaw Toronto’s rise from last place in the NHL to being a perennial playoff qualifier, but the Leafs were never able to advance in the postseason under his watch.
Prior to landing in Toronto, Babcock did plenty of winning. He made the Stanley Cup Final on three different occasions and won it all with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. Babcock also coached Canada to a gold medal at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and a World Cup title in 2016.
“We see a great opportunity to be coached by someone whose coached in every single big game there is a coach in,” said McDavid, who’s entering the first year of a two-year contract extension. “[He’s] been successful, won Cups, gold medals, you name it, he’s done it. 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, it’s the perfect fit. 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.”
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After losing to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, the Oilers fell in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks in the 2026 playoffs, which ultimately cost coach Kris Knoblauch his job.
Babcock’s hiring was only part of the shake up in the Alberta capital this off-season. The team also traded longtime defenceman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and the draft rights to prospect Zachary Sharp.
Fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Carolina Hurricanes, goalie Frederik Andersen signed with the Oilers, who also acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres. They will join holdover Tristan Jarry on Edmonton’s goalie depth chart.
“Yeah, it’s exciting, first and foremost,” McDavid said of the team’s changes. “Obviously 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 Nursey’s been to not only me but the whole group and everybody in Edmonton so extremely disappointed to see that happen. But, at the same time, really excited about some additions. The new coach, some good players. It’s an exciting time in Edmonton.”
McDavid likes the idea of having three goalies in the mix.
“Carolina has done that for a little bit and obviously had success,” the 29-year-old centre noted. “You know, injuries happen and you always need to have somebody ready to go in there and we’ll always have that.”
Andersen played for Babcock and with Hyman in Toronto and should be feeling very good as he heads West.
“He just got married, so big congrats to Freddie,” Hyman said with a grin. “And he just won, obviously, so two rings for him in one summer, pretty good ... He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable teammate, unbelievable goalie, who’s now won, right, and that’s his pedigree. So we’re lucky to have him.
The Oilers also signed defenceman Ryan Shea while watching goalie Connor Ingram and forward Jack Roslovic depart.
“It seems like there’s lots of new faces,” said Draisaitl. “I’m excited. You know, sometimes a fresh start can be great for groups and great for a team, a different look. I’m excited to have the guys, the new guys around, excited to be with Babs. Yeah, we’re excited.”
The Oilers are also finding positives in having a longer off-season than usual.
“Yeah, it’s been nice,” said Draisaitl. “Obviously, there’s been a little bit of injury stuff going on the last couple of years so it’s been nice to kind of freshen up a little bit and get healthy as [much] as possible and spend a little bit more time in the gym and working on your game. So, yeah, that was a nice part, but I think we’d all rather be having short summers.”
Draisaitl and McDavid, who both played at the Olympics in Milan last season, arrived a little late to Hyman’s charity event because they were putting in time on the ice.
“Well, obviously, getting a chance to train and work on things,” McDavid said of the benefit of an extended off-season. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that. The last couple of summers have just been kind of maintenance and getting back to baseline, so a chance to work on some things and get healthy and rested.”
Hyman was rehabbing a dislocated wrist last summer and was unable to golf at his charity event. It’s a different story this time around.
“It’s a big reset,” he said. “A long off-season to heal and to actually train. Obviously the new coach, so lots of change, and then there’s roster changes every year. But, from a healing standpoint, training standpoint, first time in a while we’ve had a little bit of a break.”
Proceeds from Hyman’s charity event go to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, SickKids Hospital in Toronto, the United Jewish Appeal Federations of Greater Toronto and Alberta, the Brantford Bulldogs Foundation and the Edmonton Oilers Foundation. The event has raised more than $3-million since its inception.
