EDMONTON — Even in a light least favourable …

In its Thursday press release announcing that Mike Babcock’s awkward, early resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets three years ago had passed muster, the National Hockey League used language we’ve not seen it use before:

“Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favourable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the League.”

You can suspend a player for a head shot, and you can suspend a general manager for tampering. But the NHL is telling us without telling us that you can’t suspend a coach for a quarter century of questionable character. For leaving a trail of people behind him with little or nothing good to say about their interactions with the 63-year-old Saskatoonian.

Babcock is free to coach again, and he will coach the Edmonton Oilers next season. Expect a press conference as soon as Tuesday.

So desperate are the Oilers to win a Stanley Cup before Connor McDavid starts looking elsewhere, they will overlook every transgression that the Mike Modanos, Chris Chelios’ and........

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