Mike Babcock Signs Oilers HC Contract to Replace Kris Knoblauch After NHL Playoff Exit

The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday they hired Mike Babcock as their next head coach.

Babcock has a .649 points percentage across his 10 years on an NHL bench. He lifted the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2003 and 2009.

The Oilers underscored the amount of urgency they're feeling by firing Kris Knoblauch in May. He guided Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final in successive seasons, but a first-round loss to the Anaheim Ducks was enough to get him the boot.

Franchise cornerstones Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are 29 and 30, respectively. They're not on their last legs by any means, but their peak years are dwindling. The questions about McDavid's future are growing louder as well with an eye toward his free agency in 2028.

Babcock has been a consistent winner across his stops with the Red Wings, Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The biggest question with the 63-year-old is his distinct coaching style and whether it meshes with the Oilers' key veterans. The Associated Press described him as a "polarizing taskmaster," and the NHL recently investigated the circumstances behind his abrupt exit from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023. The league didn't find cause to prevent him from coaching again.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Babcock's hiring Tuesday followed a candid conversation between he and a small group of Oilers players:

For better or worse, Edmonton knows exactly who it's getting with its new coach. This is the kind of move that will either be a home run or a total failure. There may not be much in between.