It appears that Mike Babcock will not be returning to an NHL bench any time soon.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren
Dreger reported he spoke with Babcock Wednesday morning about the idea of coaching again after speculation connected him to the Edmonton Oilers and their head coaching vacancy earlier this week.
“Dregs, I’m retired. Loving it,” Babcock told Dreger.
I asked Babcock this morning about the idea of coaching again and the speculation around the Oilers. He said, “Dregs, I’m retired. Loving it”. https://t.co/G7kwEyduRw
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 20, 2026
On Monday, former NHL general manager and player agent Brian Lawton suggested to host Bob Stauffer during a radio show that the Oilers could be open to considering Babcock as head coach.
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal referenced the clip and wrote he could see the Oilers considering Babcock as a candidate during their search, along with Peter Laviolette.
Babcock, 63, last coached in the NHL during the 2019-20 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He took the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coaching job three years later but resigned before the season started after a report from the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast indicated he had asked players to share personal photos from their mobile devices. The situation was investigated by the NHL Players’ Association before Babcock announced his resignation and then-Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen called Babcock’s hiring “a mistake” as part of a statement.
Babcock began his head coaching career in the NHL with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2002 and took over as Detroit Red Wings head coach in 2005. He helped lead the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup victory in 2008 and made the playoffs in each of his 10 years with the franchise. He then signed an eight-year, $50 million deal to take the Toronto Maple Leafs’ head job ahead of the 2015-16 season and spent four and a half seasons in Toronto before his firing in November of 2019.
Babcock owns a career regular-season head coaching record of 700-418-164 with 19 ties. He also coached Team Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, as well as winning gold at the World Junior Championship (1997), Men’s World Championship (2004) and World Cup of Hockey (2016).
The Oilers are one of several teams in the midst of a head coaching search after firing Kris Knoblauch last week. Edmonton had reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of Knoblauch’s first two seasons but were bounced in the opening round by the Anaheim Ducks this year.
