The Mike Babcock situation continues to be messy for the Oilers

Who knew that, in 2026, Mike Babcock would still be in the headlines?

The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly interested in hiring the Stanley Cup-winning head coach as their new bench boss. However, there has been plenty of backlash as Babcock has a checkered past, with allegations of abuse and antics that haven’t been openly welcomed by his former players. He was last in the NHL in the fall of 2023, when he resigned as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, even before coaching a preseason game.

There has been recent reporting that an independent investigation by the NHLPA, conducted three years ago, included information that was presented to the NHL prior to Babcock stepping down. While that information has yet to be made public, it has prompted the PA to ask the league to conduct a renewed investigation before the Oilers hire Babcock.

On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton explain why this whole saga with the potential Babcock hiring is not looking good for the Oilers.

Carter Hutton: You’re talking about probably the most important coaching decision in the NHL this year. You think all these teams exchanging coaches, who is the closest team with the biggest superstar in the world to try to win a Stanley Cup right now? It’s the Edmonton Oilers. To not do your due diligence when you’re going to go after a guy who’s already been shunned from the league, and in this situation, I just think the optics of this report. I think moving forward, it’s going to be a lot of pressure on this team if it does go forward with everything that’s going on. It will be interesting because you’re back in that window where if this passes, and you’ve just carried two generational players for this long, you weren’t able to get over the hump, and this is the way it sends off. It’s not a good look for anyone.