Babcock hiring a massive gamble for Oilers

What does an NHL team do when they’ve seemingly tried everything, but nothing has gotten them the championship they desire? They do the one thing that nobody else is willing to do. In the case of the Edmonton Oilers, that means hiring Mike Babcock as their new head coach.

The controversial former head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, and (very briefly) Columbus Blue Jackets, has been cleared to coach again after an NHL-conducted investigation into his resignation from Columbus in 2023. That leaves the path open for Edmonton, whose interest in Babcock spurred the investigation in the first place, to bring him in as their new bench boss.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton shared their thoughts on the likelihood of Babcock joining the Oilers.

Tyler Yaremchuk: What’s your gut feel on Babcock to Edmonton?

Carter Hutton: It’s tricky, a really tricky situation. I feel like the history of hockey and everything that had gone on, it felt like that was kind of fake news in a sense. Obviously he had done a bunch of stuff, I don’t know what the protocol is to keep him out of the NHL. It sounds like the team obviously wants him. It will be interesting to see how he dials in the goaltending factor, because I just can’t see him loving the way Connor Ingram plays if he’s re-signed, and Tristan Jarry is not very pleasing to they eye. He’s a clunky goalie. He’s a puck stopper, you can’t deny that. He had a tough year, he’s been good. I just think the way that Mike Babcock manages a team versus the new age player and these younger guys that have a lot more power, I just think it’s going to be an interesting dynamic. In a window where you’re trying to win with Connor McDavid, it seems like a high-risk roll of the dice.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Friday’s episode here…