As the Stanley Cup Final draws closer to its end, the offseason is looming. There will be a flurry of activity across the league in the coming weeks. As such, rumours around the Edmonton Oilers have started to heat up in a meaningful way, now with a sense of immediacy.
Let’s take a look at the offseason buzz in this week’s rumour roundup.
Rumours of Oilers hiring Babcock
There are multiple reports that the Oilers are interested in Coach Mike Babcock. Some even suspecting a hiring is imminent. The news of a veteran coach coming out of a longer hiatus is compelling on its own, some even using the Babcock rumours to ponder about coaches like Craig McTavish, Darryl Sutter, or Barry Trotz.
The fact that it is Babcock creates a lot of buzz on its own. A once great reputation had been tarnished, the past decade giving the public a number of stories that border on bullying, if not emotional abuse. From well documented frictions between Babcock and Johan Franzen and Mitch Marner, to the incident with the Columbus Blues Jackets before he ever coached a game there are certainly some personality concerns. It is unlikely that he has changed much since he was ousted from the Blue Jackets too. Bruce Cassidy remains a relevant option, some even suggesting that any other coach hired this season will merely be a placeholder until Cassidy is made available.
While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl being aligned with the Babcock hire, the Oilers have more to consider. GM Stan Bowman has made considerable investments in younger forwards. Matthew Savoie, Josh Samanski, and Isaac Howard will have to be impactful for the Oilers to be successful next season. There are reasons to wonder if Babcock is the coach who can help those players to deliver.
At the same time, Babcock’s coaching prowess has rarely been the issue. Given McDavid and Draisaitl’s apparent desire for stricter coaching and new approaches, the Oilers interest in Babcock does have some logic. Babcock had a lot of success with super teams like his Detroit Red Wings or the team Canada Olympic roster. He has also authored some unexpected successes with the Anaheim Ducks and a young Toronto Maple Leafs team.
Babcock does seem to have a strong defensive impact on his teams, an area the Oilers need to improve in. It does seem like the Oilers players and management are on board. The players’ endorsement is huge here. Aside from the extensive character concerns, Babcock represents exactly what the Oilers desire from a championship calibre coach.
Nurse trade may be imminent
The other big news this week is that the Oilers trading Darnell Nurse seems to be very likely. The obvious upside is that Nurse’s contract coming off of the books will open up a lot of cap space for the Oilers to work with. Many fans have been hoping for this move for that simple reason. There is no doubt that Nurse has not played up to his cap hit, which has long made him a target for fans.
At the same time there is risk to the move as well. Nurse has played a huge role for the Oilers. Last season, Nurse handled a huge role defensively, especially at even strength. Nurse played in a shutdown role this past playoffs, authoring a positive plus minus.
With Mattias Ekholm another year older, and offensive options like Jake Walman and Spencer Stastney as other options on the left side, dealing Nurse would leave the Oilers lineup with a big hole. The Oilers will need to find a player who can handle this more defensive role in his stead. As much as freeing up his cap hit will give the Oilers options, part of that cap relief will be eaten up by his successor. Finding a player as effective as Nurse was in this role will not be easy or cheap.
Cossa also linked to Edmonton
There are growing rumours that a trade for Sebastian Cossa is imminent as well. There are even rumours that the trade price is agreed to, a second-round pick and an additional pick. Cossa is young and talented, and has put up several strong AHL seasons. The upside is obvious, including a huge frame, which was a big part of why he was drafted so highly by the Detroit Red Wings.
Cossa was not the starting goalie for his team’s AHL playoff run, and might be passed over by a younger and more heralded Trey Augustine. Though unproven at the NHL level, Cossa would represent a lot of hope for the Oilers.
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