Elliotte Friedman reveals Mike Babcock has already done something very unusual involving the Oilers
Photo credit: The Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Edmonton Oilers coaching search took a dramatic turn on Monday when Elliotte Friedman reported that Mike Babcock has spoken directly with owner Daryl Katz.
This was about the vacant head coaching position.
That detail matters more than the name itself.
Re Oilers: "According to several sources, Mike Babcock has spoken directly with owner Daryl Katz."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Babcock did not go through the standard front office process. He spoke with the owner. That sequence tells you this pursuit is being driven from the top of the organization, not from Stan Bowman's coaching search.
Katz reaching out personally suggests a level of conviction that goes beyond simply filling a vacancy after losing Peter Laviolette to the Los Angeles Kings hours earlier.
Friedman also reported that the hire has not been formalized with the NHL, which would have to sign off before it becomes official.
That step is not a rubber stamp. The league investigated the phone photo allegations that ended Babcock's tenure in Columbus before he ever coached a regular season game.
The NHLPA conducted its own review at the time, and multiple reports indicate the players' association is not enthusiastic about Babcock returning to an NHL bench.
The approval process is the real story
Most coaching hires are announced and that is the end of it. This one requires explicit league clearance, which means the NHL is effectively holding veto power over an ownership-level decision in Edmonton.
If the league delays or blocks the hire, it would be one of the most significant interventions into a franchise's coaching decision in modern NHL history.
Katz is coaching this search himself
Edmonton's coaching vacancy has now outlasted multiple candidates. Bruce Cassidy remains unavailable with Vegas refusing interview permission.
Laviolette chose Los Angeles. The pattern reveals an owner who is not delegating this decision and a league that is not rushing to accommodate him.
Whatever happens next depends less on Babcock's resume and more on whether the NHL decides his return is something it wants to authorize.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Edmonton Oilers set to hire highly controversial head coach that requires NHLPA approval
Edmonton Oilers set to hire highly controversial head coach that requires NHLPA approval
Previously on House Of Hockey