As more details emerge about the Edmonton Oilers’ hiring of Mike Babcock, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the team’s leaders are fully behind the bold hire.

Connor McDavid said in an exclusive interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector that they’re behind the decision and that the leadership group wants Babcock to be hard on them. Zach Hyman, whom Babcock coached earlier in his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, also recently said he’s excited about the hire.

Leon Draisaitl also looks forward to having Babcock behind the bench, saying on the “Oilers Now” show recently:

“Babs will challenge us; he’ll demand the most out of us. But at the end of the day, I think when you want to get to where we want to get to, you need to demand the most out of every single player.” He added, “Babs will be hard on us, but I want that. I’m looking for that. I want to get better, I want to become a better hockey player all around, and I want to help our team win in even more ways than I have.”

And as much as it was a controversial hire due to reports of him having an abrasive style with past players, there’s no turning back now. Babcock is signed and will be the man making decisions behind the Oilers’ bench in 2026-27.

At this point, there’s not much left to do other than look at it through the lens of the positives. If the leadership group has publicly stated that they’re fully on board with the decision, you’d have to think that during those meetings, each of them truly identified something in Babcock that they believe can help make them better, and ultimately make the team better.

For McDavid, there’s chatter that this will finally be his “Steve Yzerman moment,” where the undisputed leader of the club sacrifices point production for a more complete two-way game, much like Yzerman did with the Red Wings before ultimately winning a........

© Oilers Nation