Mike Babcock isn’t expected to change his coaching style in Edmonton, and Elliotte Friedman believes the Oilers know exactly what they’re getting.
Speaking on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman said Edmonton turned to Babcock because the team needed a different approach after last season.
“This team was really off the rails at the end of last year; if they want to be challenged, they got a guy who’s not gonna be afraid to challenge them,” Friedman said.
The Oilers made the coaching change after moving on from Kris Knoblauch, with general manager Stan Bowman bringing in the Stanley Cup-winning coach to lead a veteran roster that includes Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
His return hasn’t been without questions, though. Babcock resigned as Blue Jackets head coach before coaching a game after an NHLPA investigation found he had asked players to show him photos on their personal phones during one-on-one meetings, leaving several, particularly younger players, uncomfortable.
When Edmonton emerged as a possible destination earlier this year, the NHLPA asked the league to review Mike Babcock’s previous conduct before he returned. The NHL ultimately cleared him to coach, and the Oilers hired him in June 2026.
Mike Babcock says he has learned from his time away from the NHL
Mike Babcock addressed his departure from Columbus and said the experience made him reflect on how he approaches people. Speaking during his introductory press conference, he said:
“Anytime you make anybody feel uncomfortable in your life, you should take a look at yourself and you should say, ‘How could I do that better?'”
“I think that’s what you do, is as a person, is you try to always be better at what you do. The situation in Columbus, they’ve had a full review, and I’m thankful to the NHL and NHLPA for doing that. It didn’t work out for us. We’re excited about making it work here,” Babcock added.
The Oilers are also bringing in one of the most successful coaches in NHL history. Babcock has a 700-418-183 regular-season record across 17 NHL seasons and ranks 10th all-time with 90 playoff wins.
The 63-year-old is the only coach to win a Stanley Cup, two Olympic gold medals, an IIHF World Championship and a World Cup of Hockey. He also took the Anaheim Ducks to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final before spending 10 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2008 and led the team to eight 100-point seasons.
Edited by Sonali Verma