The Edmonton Oilers made NHL history during the offseason with their recent move.
Edmonton hired Mike Babcock as their head coach, and he hired his longtime assistant DJ Smith as an assistant coach. Smith had previously served as the head coach of the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings, so he brings in plenty of experience.
Although Smith has been an assistant to Babcock previously, NHL insider Nick Kypreos reported that he’s set to earn $1 million and is the first assistant coach to ever make more than $1 million.
“DJ Smith has become the highest-paid assistant coach in NHL history, cracking the $1 million mark. It came down to Toronto and Edmonton; there’s a sense Jim Hiller was pushing for him; in the end, they wouldn’t match Edmonton’s money,” Kypreos said.
Smith earning $1 million is good for the rest of the assistant coaches in the NHL, as their numbers should start to soon reach that number as well. But, for now, the former NHL head coach remains the only assistant to earn seven figures as he adds more experience to the Oilers’ bench.
As a head coach, Smith went 142-160-38 and made the playoffs just once, getting swept in his lone season as the Kings’ head coach.
Babcock Explains Decision to Join Oilers
Babcock had been out of the NHL for years after he didn’t even make it to training with the Columbus Blue Jackets, as he was accused of going through players’ phones.
So, before the NHL and NHLPA launched an investigation, he stepped down and started his retirement. Yet, the Oilers’ ownership wanted Babcock to be the head coach, and after talking with the team’s star players, including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and others, he felt like it was a good spot for him to return.
“Stan said when I sat in the meeting with him, Jackson and Harrison [Katz], after three and a half hours, it was very evident that there was an alignment there,” Babcock said. “We went back and forth on what we had to do to become championship material, and I left that meeting thinking, ‘This is pretty good.’ When I sat down with the players, that was just phenomenal. So the interaction with star players who want nothing more than to win and tell you how they’re willing to change and adjust to make that happen is pretty exciting for a coach.”
Babcock, meanwhile, said he had to make sure all the players were all-in on winning before returning to coaching.
“We were all committed to winning, and in that time period, we had gone through enough things and talked about enough that they felt comfortable with the process, or I wouldn’t be here. I was very clear to them: unless you’re 100 percent all in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach.”
Babcock is 700-418-19-164 (19 ties) in his NHL coaching career and won the Stanley Cup in 2008.
Edmonton Active in Offseason
The Oilers, meanwhile, were active this offseason in changing over their roster after last year’s disappointment.
Edmonton’s offseason moves, so far, are as follows:
- Acquire Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp from the Sharks for Darnell Nurse
- Acquire goalie Devon Levi and a 2028 7th-round pick from the Sabres for a 2028 3rd-round pick.
- Sign goalie Frederik Andersen to a one-year, $1 million deal, and can earn up to $2.8M.
- Sign Mathieu Joseph to a one-year, $1 million deal.
- Ink defenseman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million deal.
- Re-sign Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year, $2.6 million deal.
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