The Edmonton Oilers’ decision to hire Mike Babcock as head coach came with plenty of questions attached, given the coach’s rocky exit from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023. On Monday, Leon Draisaitl offered the clearest answer yet from the player side.
Draisaitl was among several Oilers players speaking to media at Zach Hyman’s annual charity golf tournament at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto. It was the first time the group had addressed the Babcock hire publicly since Edmonton was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
Babcock resigned from Columbus in September 2023, following an NHLPA investigation into allegations that he asked players to show him personal photos from their phones during one-on-one meetings. He denied wrongdoing.
After a review by the NHL and NHLPA cleared him to return, the Oilers brought him in on June 23 to replace Kris Knoblauch, whose tenure ended after back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses in 2024 and 2025 and a first-round exit last spring.
Leon Draisaitl shared an inside look at their first Mike Babcock meeting
Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Hyman all met with Mike Babcock prior to the hire being announced. Babcock was reportedly direct in those meetings telling the Oilers’ star players that their own leadership bore some responsibility for the team’s failure to win a championship.
“[That was] very important,” Draisaitl said. “As we all know, there’s history there, and I think we got that all off the table. We had an honest conversation about it, and he was very honest about it. I think for us, it’s time to move on and look forward to the start of the year. We’re extremely excited.”
The 30-year-old centre said the timing feels right for this group to work under a coach with Babcock’s track record and direct approach. He pointed to where the Oilers’ core is in their careers after coming up short in three straight postseasons.
“I think it’s just the time that we’re all in in our career, I guess the age that we’re at, and I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously, it’s a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, very excited to work with him. Yeah, like I said, very excited to get going.”
Zach Hyman vouches for Babcock from personal experience
Hyman of course brings a different perspective than his teammates. He played under Babcock in Toronto during the coach’s time with the Maple Leafs, which ended with his firing in November 2019. After the hire was announced, Hyman said his phone was flooded with messages from Oilers teammates looking for his take.
“Obviously, when you’re the guy who’s played for a coach that’s coming in, everybody wants your opinion or your take on it,” Hyman said.
“I obviously had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto, and I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players that were there. All of us have had pretty long careers and are still playing, and he’s set the foundation for us. So I think he’s a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him, and I’m happy he went through the process with the NHL and the NHLPA, and all those questions were answered.”
Players having a say seen as part of process
Hyman also spoke to what it meant for the core players to have direct input before the decision was finalized. He called it a sign of where the league is heading in terms of player involvement.
“I think that’s everything,” Hyman said. “I think that’s where sports is going, is players have a lot of insight, especially players of their calibre, into what they’re looking for. We all want to win. That’s the goal. I think to have the ability to actually talk to somebody before they come in and understand what they would do and what their philosophy is and how they like to coach and to be able to talk to them before the decision is made, I think was a great experience.”
Edmonton opens the 2026–27 season on September 29 against the Vancouver Canucks.
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