Edmonton Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson was effusive in his praise of new head coach Mike Babcock as he spoke Tuesday ahead of the NHL board of governors meetings.
“I’ve been super impressed with Mike and D.J. Smith and the whole coaching staff; the staff is very much energized,” Jackson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic. “The first week of camp, the energy around the team and the coaches’ room, there’s lots of it. It’s been great.”
Babcock was the most controversial coaching hire of the off-season, getting another shot behind the bench for the first time since resigning as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before coaching a game. Babcock’s resignation came in the wake of a report from the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast that indicated he asked players to share personal photos from their mobile devices.
The NHL and NHLPA conducted investigations of Babcock, and he was cleared in June. After extensive interviews with Oilers’ management and the leadership group within the team’s dressing room, the franchise decided to hire Babcock.
Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025 but were inconsistent last season. The team finished second in the Pacific Division with a 41-30-11 record but were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in six games during the opening round.
Getting back to competing for the Stanley Cup is top of mind for the Oilers, who have Connor McDavid under contract for just this season and the following at a $12.5 million cap hit.
“The expectations are always high for our team and that’s the way we want it,” Jackson said. “It’s early, it’s camp, there’s a long season ahead of us, and hopefully we can stay healthy, but our guys are as focused as they’ve ever been.
“And I think our team is deeper than it’s ever been,” he added. “The way that Mike and D.J. and the rest of the staff are going to coach the team, it’s going to be a bit more inclusive so that we have everybody feeling important and everybody having a role. You see what happens when teams do that, like with Carolina. That’s sort of our focus as the season gets started.”
The Oilers will open their regular season and the Babcock era next Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks.
