Following an investigation by the National Hockey League into his alleged past conduct during his short tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mike Babcock has officially been cleared to work in the League.
Right now, the Edmonton Oilers are the frontrunners to land Babcock, in whom they expressed interest in hiring following the termination of Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart.
Understandably, their interest in Babcock considering the controversies that have followed him in recent years stemming from past incidents in his career, is curious – even more so that they’re trying to do everything possible to convince superstar captain Connor McDavid to extend beyond his current two-year deal that expires in 2028.
In the meantime, if the Oilers ultimately hire Babcock as their new head coach, they have been linked to another former head coach of a Canadian-based club who could serve as an assistant.
The Edmonton Oiler Have Been Linked To Former Ottawa Senators Coach DJ Smith
According to NHL Insider David Pagnotta, the Oilers are linked to former Ottawa Senators head coach DJ Smith for a potential assistant job on Babcock’s staff.
“Once Mike Babcock officially joins the Oilers as HC, one name to look out for to potentially join his staff is DJ Smith,” Pagnotta wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Smith assumed the coaching responsibilities of the Senators prior to the 2019-20 NHL season, and ultimately went 131-154-32 for a .464 winning percentage. He was let go as head coach after his club started the 2023-24 season with an 11-15 record, and later joined the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach before taking over for the fired Jim Hiller on an interim basis this past season.
Under Smith, the Kings posted a record of 11-6-6 and were eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinal in a sweep by the Colorado Avalanche.
Smith has also worked with the Windsor Spitfires and the Oshawa Generals and worked as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs under Babcock. He would resign from his position following Toronto’s second straight Game 7 loss in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Boston Bruins to accept Ottawa’s head coaching position.
What Do Oilers Fans Think Of The Potential Hiring Of DJ Smith As An Assistant Coach?
The reception by fans on social media to the news that the Oilers could consider hiring DJ Smith as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock hasn’t gone over very well so far.
One fan wrote, “..and names of players who request trades out of Edmonton and players around the league with clauses requiring lists telling their agents to put Edmonton on theirs.”
This fan said, “Yes, it’s a good idea to have an ex-NHL head coach on staff for when McDavid wants Babcock fired for doing something weird–or just because.”
Keeping in that vein, this fan said, “Are the Oilers trying to run McDavid out of town and be trash or are they just making every wrong decision by accident?”
Finally, this fan said, “Mcdavid trade watch gonna be amazing next summer.”
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