The Edmonton Oilers shocked the hockey world when they hired Mike Babcock as their new head coach. He has a controversial past, with many former players speaking out about his treatment of the team and staff. However, James Cybulski, host of Clearing The Crease, believes desperation to win ultimately led the Oilers to pursue Babcock.
Babcock, a Stanley Cup-winning coach, previously coached the Toronto Maple Leafs. After his exit, stories emerged about how he would play mind games with players. The stories did not stop there, as former Detroit Red Wings players even spoke out about their negative experiences.
Babcock’s controversial antics followed him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where his head coaching tenure ended before he could coach a game.
Now, Babcock is once again in the spotlight of a Canadian market that wants to win a Stanley Cup. As a result of the organization’s desperation to win with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the helm, the franchise took a gamble.
“Desperation for a team that is trying to exercise every possible option there is in order to try and win. Look, I think if you look at [Babcock’s] track record in hockey, especially at the NHL level, he is an elite-level coach,” Cybulski told The Game Plan. “He checks a lot of boxes in terms of being one of the best coaches in hockey over the last quarter century. The issue with him is that he is largely perceived as a rotten human being.”
James Cybulski Says Edmonton Oilers Leadership Want Mike Babcock to Keep Them Accountable
James Cybulski also revealed that accountability was a key reason why the Edmonton Oilers leadership gave management their blessing to pursue Mike Babcock.
The Oilers reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals but came up short against the Florida Panthers both times. As a result, the management and leadership group are willing to exhaust all options in order to win.
“If you look at the last two coaches, with Kris Knoblauch and Jay Woodcroft, those guys are probably more the good cop as opposed to bringing in the bad cop,” Cybulski told The Game Plan. “You’re bringing a guy who is ruthless, but a guy who gets results. And so, I think there’s a buyer beware, there’s going to be a lot of focus on the Oilers this year, as there’s been every year.”
He continued:
“When you’ve got Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it is Stanley Cup or bust, right? If you’re not winning, it is a failure for that organization. So, they are looking to go to the extreme.”
Cybulski Believes Connor McDavid Will Stay in Edmonton for the Duration of His Contract
Cybulski also said that he believes Connor McDavid will not request a trade if the Oilers are unsuccessful during the 2026-27 season. McDavid signed a two-year extension last year and will likely stay the course.
“I think McDavid is committed to the Oilers for the next two seasons like he signed up for. So, they’ve got this window and they’re going to try it and he clearly signed off on wanting this situation [with Babcock],” Cybulski told The Game Plan. “You’ve brought in a legit winner as a coach, a killer, if you will, and a guy who is going to be hard—to downright brutal on players.”
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