Edmonton Oilers set to hire highly controversial head coach that requires NHLPA approval
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Edmonton Oilers are not simply floating Mike Babcock's name as a hypothetical.
Sources indicate the organization is actively consulting with the NHLPA to determine whether unresolved objections would block a potential hire.
"The Edmtn Oilers are consulting with the NHLPA to see if there are objections that must be resolved before potentially hiring Mike Babcock. Amid allegations of invading players privacy, Babcock resigned in CBJ as Head Coach in 2023. Further investigation may be required."
- NHL sources, per Darren Dreger
- NHL sources, per Darren Dreger
That step matters more than the name attached to it. Teams do not initiate formal conversations with the players' association over coaches they are casually exploring.
An NHLPA consultation means legal and procedural groundwork, and that only happens when a hire is being treated as a real possibility.
Babcock resigned from the Columbus Blue Jackets in September 2023 after an investigation into allegations he invaded players' privacy by requesting access to personal photos on their phones.
He never coached a game for Columbus. Three weeks ago, he told TSN's Darren Dreger he was retired and loving it.
A search that has stalled in plain sight
The fact that Edmonton is circling back to Babcock despite all of that tells you where the coaching search actually stands.
Bruce Cassidy remains blocked by the Vegas Golden Knights, who have shown zero urgency to grant permission.
Craig Berube interviewed but carries the weight of a collapsed defensive system in Toronto that got him fired.
Peter Laviolette has been mentioned but just got hire by the Los Angeles Kings.
Stan Bowman's front office is running out of established names who check the championship-pedigree box Edmonton has publicly prioritized.
The NHLPA call is the clearest evidence yet that the search has narrowed faster than anyone outside the organization wants to admit.
The coaching reunion nobody expected
There is a second layer worth watching. If Babcock does land in Edmonton, speculation has already surfaced that DJ Smith could rejoin him as an assistant.
Smith served as Babcock's right hand in Toronto before becoming head coach of the Ottawa Senators.
He was most recently interim head coach in Los Angeles after replacing Jim Hiller in March.
Reuniting the old Leafs coaching infrastructure behind an Oilers bench would be one of the stranger full-circle moments in recent NHL history.
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