The Edmonton Oilers are looking for a new head coach. Edmonton is reportedly closing in on their guy. The team is nearing a deal to bring in Mike Babcock as the next coach, per ESPN insider Greg Wyshynski.
Babcock worked previously with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was a bizarre situation for him in Columbus.
“Babcock was last hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 but ended up never coaching a game with the franchise. He resigned after an NHLPA investigation into claims that he violated players’ privacy when he asked to see photos on their cellphones. The NHLPA shared its findings with the NHL, which shared them with Blue Jackets management. Team president John Davidson said “we got it wrong” in hiring Babcock,” the reporter wrote.
Babcock is an accomplished coach, though. He won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also was the head coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in Anaheim with the Ducks.
It appears that Oilers players have been following the situation closely.
“The NHLPA confirmed that Oilers players have reached out regarding Babcock’s status and any open investigations into his conduct. TSN first reported on the Oilers’ interest in Babcock,” Wyshynski reported.
The Oilers job is one of the best available in the NHL right now. Edmonton fired Kris Knoblauch, after the team failed to reach a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final this season. The Oilers made the Final the last two seasons. Both years, the team lost to the Florida Panthers.
The Oilers finished the 2025-26 campaign with 93 points. Edmonton lost in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Anaheim Ducks.
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