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The Edmonton Oilers are once facing a pivotal off-season after an early playoff exit in 2026, ending a lucky streak that included back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances.
Shortly after their first-round elimination this spring, the club parted ways with head coach Kris Knoblauch, prompting speculation about who will take over behind the bench.
Among those rumoured to be under consideration is veteran NHL coach Mike Babcock — a candidate whose résumé and reputation have left fans divided.
“I’m 50/50,” said Raffaele Papaianni, founder of the fan site Bleed Oil Blue.
“First off, he’s a good head coach — he’s won 700 games, he’s 11th all time. Two gold medals, Stanley Cup.
“But players who have played for him call him a bully.”
The Saskatoon-born coach’s track record includes a 2008 Stanley Cup championship as the decade-long coach of the Detroit Red Wings, along with two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.
However, his four-year tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs ended in 2019 in dismissal amid controversy.
The Columbus Blue Jackets cut ties with Babcock for off-ice privacy reasons prior to the 2023-24 season starting, after hiring him that summer.
Babcock was forced to resign after requesting to view photos on players’ cellphones as part of a bonding effort, which led to an investigation by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association that has not yet been resolved.
Babcock’s conduct was under the microscope given his history of polarizing, old-school coaching techniques, many of which came to light after he was fired by Toronto in 2019.
The Blue Jackets gig that never got off the ground was his first NHL job since.
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“There’s a long track record of disagreements and, if not, outright abuse of players — at a time where it was maybe more widely acceptable for a coach to be hard on his players,” said Brenden Escott, host of 880 CHED’s Inside Sports.
“There are a lot of questions about his tactics and whether that’s going to be appropriate or applicable to the modern game.”
The Oilers have not shied away from adding players with complicated histories in recent years.
Players Evander Kane, Milan Lucic, Corey Perry and Zack Kassian all arrived in Edmonton with reputations that raised questions but were seen by management as potential contributors on the ice.
“What I think it speaks to most is their unabashed desire to win,” Escott said. “When they feel like they’ve got somebody who can provide a different angle or a different experience, albeit with maybe a little bit of baggage that they can work through, they’re willing to take on that risk.”
If hired, the 63-year-old would become the Oilers’ sixth head coach in the past decade.
His coaching style would mark a significant shift from Knoblauch, who was widely viewed as a steady, stable presence behind the bench.
“He seems to be more of a calm coach,” said Kim Hertlein, a provisional sports psychologist and Oilers fan.
“If a different coach comes in with a very stern, harsh reality and pushing them, I think it will rely a lot on the captains.”
Escott said Knoblauch was soft-spoken and calm — to the point players called him out for being emotionless.
“There’s nothing emotionless about Mike Babcock as a coach. He is the type of guy who will crack the whip when needed,” Escott said.
The coach isn’t there to be friends with the players, Hertlein said, but at the same time, has to establish a collaborative relationship.
“The coach’s door always has to open. They have to have that trust that athletes can come and give feedback. But when push comes to shove, somebody has to behind the bench saying, ‘we are better than this. We know that we can push ourselves further.’”
Hertlein said any coaching change is likely to affect team dynamics.
“The culture of a team normally starts with a coach,” she said.
“The coach has to have high expectations, but they also have to read the room.”
While Babcock appears to be a leading candidate, the Oilers have explored other options.
“I don’t think that this was Plan A,” Escott said.
“I think it was Plan C, if I’m being honest.”
The team was reportedly primarily interested in former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, who was fired in late March but remains under contract through next season.
According to NHL rules, teams seeking to speak with Cassidy must obtain permission from Vegas. Reports indicate the Golden Knights have denied requests from Pacific Division rivals, including Edmonton and Los Angeles.
Peter Laviolette, who led the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup win against Edmonton in 2006, is another coach Escott said the Oilers interviewed and was being considered — but he was scooped up by the L.A. Kings on Tuesday.
“I think it really speaks to, there’s so few other options this year for coaches and Vegas is playing really hardball with Bruce Cassidy,” Escott said.
The Oilers declined to comment on the coaching search.
Regardless of who is hired, attention will be squarely on the Oilers’ bench when the puck drops on the new season this fall.
“This is a new generation of players. You can’t use the old school coaching (techniques) in the exact same way that you did a decade ago or two decades ago,” Hertlein said.
“I think the Oilers need a a little tough love, but it has to be within reason.”
— with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
