Mike Babcock may be back behind an NHL bench soon, despite what many thought was a disqualifying past.
Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Edmonton Oilers are interested in hiring Babcock for their vacant head coaching position, adding that the team is checking in with the NHL Players’ Association to see if there would be any issues before moving forward.
Dreger added that if a further investigation is needed, it would be handled by the league rather than the Players’ Association.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman contributed his own reporting, saying that Edmonton’s interest in Babcock is “real” and that the former head coach has reportedly spoken with Oilers owner Daryl Katz and several members of the team’s leadership group without objections.
The potential hiring of Babcock comes as Connor McDavid has two years remaining on his contract with the Oilers. Edmonton was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this season, after consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances. McDavid noted after the season that the “organization as a whole has taken a step back.” Leon Draisaitl added that he was “concerned because we’re not trending in the right direction.”
General manager Stan Bowman has previously said McDavid and Draisaitl’s opinions will factor into the hiring decision.
“We will have conversations with [them] as we go through,” Bowman said, per ESPN.
After firing Kris Knoblauch following the early playoff exit, the Oilers began their search for their tenth coach in just 15 seasons. Rumblings of a potential fit with Babcock began in late may, although he denied his potential return at first.
Babcock has been unemployed as a coach since his resignation from the Blue Jackets in September of 2023, just months after his initial hiring. He already carried a tainted reputation from his time with the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs when Columbus gave him another chance.
Previous offenses included verbal assault that led to former Red Wing Johan Franzen dubbing Babcock “the worst person I have ever met” and forcing then-rookie Mitch Marner to rank his teammates — and then revealing the list to those teammates.
Babcock quickly squandered that opportunity with Columbus, however, when he reportedly asked players to show him photos from their cellphones almost immediately upon arrival, launching investigations by the NHL and NHLPA. The reports were ultimately found to be true, putting an end to Babcock’s short-lived redemption tour.
After his introductory press conference, his claims to have changed his ways proved to be all talk; no team has taken the risk on Babcock since. The Washington Capitals came close, seriously considering Babcock to replace Todd Reirden in 2020 — a year after reports of his toxic behavior surfaced involving Marner and Franzen — before ultimately going with Peter Laviolette.
The Caps had two in-person interviews, one with Laviolette and another with Babcock, with Babcock’s reportedly going extremely well and solidifying his standing in the running. While it seems Laviolette was always Washington’s first choice, the “noise” around Babcock reportedly impacted their decision not to hire him.
While Babcock appears to be the frontrunner in Edmonton at the moment, other coaches linked to the position include Bruce Cassidy and Laviolette, who was hired by the Los Angeles Kings earlier on Monday.
