Did Mike Babcock impact how much Oilers could do this summer?

The Edmonton Oilers are approaching one of the most decisive years in their franchise history, as the new two-year contract for Connor McDavid kicks in, setting a ticking clock toward assured contention. 

To make the most of it, general manager Stan Bowman decided the best course of action was to hire Mike Babcock as head coach, bringing the controversial head coach back into the NHL for the first time since his abrupt departure from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023. 

While the Olympic and Stanley Cup-winning head coach brings a certain pedigree, there were also concerns about how he would impact potential recruitment. So far, though, it might not be much of an issue. 

On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, co-hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton welcomed Sports 1440’s Tom Gazzola to discuss the happenings in Edmonton’s offseason and the impact Babcock might be having on roster building. 

Tyler Yaremchuk: There was one storyline that was getting pushed around when they hired Mike Babcock: that players aren’t going to want to play there now. But then you look, and it’s like, well, Kasperi Kapanen had the guy before, and is willing to come back, and Frederik Andersen had the guy before, and was willing to come back, and Ryan Shea was willing to sign with the Oilers, granted that $20 million is pretty solid for a guy like Ryan Shea, so that might have been a bigger factor, but like Jason Dickinson is back, Connor Murphy is back, do you think that there’s a chance that narrative was maybe just a touch overblown?

Tom Gazolla: I think that narrative is well deserved. There are people who loathe Mike Babcock. I don’t like the move personally, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work out. That doesn’t mean it won’t be successful. I think the Oilers were going to be better, regardless, just with a longer off-season to rest and recuperate. 

So you bring this guy in. Yes, I understand his pedigree and what he’s won at the international level, and obviously the Stanley Cup, but I do think there probably are a lot of guys out there who have reservations about playing for Mike Babcock. 

Still, now a guy like Kapanen, who had him in Toronto, maybe, he’s one of those guys that Babcock, like Freddie Andersen, if he had success and a good rapport with Babcock, then maybe he’s okay with it, and then you have to think about these players that have come here or are staying here. I like Murphy and Dickinson, by the way. I think those were astute moves in keeping them and actually bringing them aboard in and around the deadline last year, but sometimes the promise of winning it outweighs like an a-hole of a coach and some guys can get over that that hump, and they could deal with it, or there’s the fact that you’ve got Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard there, and you know that you can deal with the shortcomings of a coach who’s a hard ass and and doesn’t have time for your feelings, so I think the narrative about you guys might not wanting to come to Edmonton, I think that that has some legitimacy. Is it fun to talk about? Does it get blown up a little bit? Sure, of course, that’s our job. 

You can catch the entire Edmonton Oilers discussion and the rest of the show right here…